A Grudge Not Held
by Simply Christian
Summary: AU. Three men never find Rangiku. Because they never find Rangiku, she is never harmed. Because Rangiku is not hurt, Gin does not swear vengeance. Because Gin does not swear vengeance, he never joins Aizen. This is a tale how Gin's allegiances remain with the Gotei 13, and the consequences it produces, both good and bad.
1. The Nail

Warning: since this fic will go up to the end of the Deicide Arc, there will be plenty of spoilers. And I will be including facts and information learned in the Fullbringer Arc and the Thousand Year Blood War Arc as well, if relevant to the plot. This is your final spoiler warning.

**Foreword:** Ichimaru Gin is my overall favorite "Bleach" character, for his trickster personality and his undying devotion to Rangiku. Like all the other Gin fans, I wished he had survived his encounter with Aizen in the Deicide Arc, if not succeed in his assassination attempt. There are plenty of fanfics out there in which Gin does survive, and even a few where he is victorious over Aizen, but I've only come across one or two stories where Gin never joins Aizen in the first place. So today on September 10, Gin's birthday, I publish the first chapter in in a saga of What Could Have Been, had our favorite silver fox not taken the path of vengeance, or needed to. And so, without further ado, we proceed into an alternate timeline.

* * *

"KA-_chew!_"

Another absolutely adorable sneeze escaped from young Rangiku, despite her best efforts to hold it in.

When the girl had woken up that morning sniffling and sneezing, Gin had ordered her to stay put and rest. Out of contrariness and stubbornness, she had rejected his diagnosis and the bed rest order. In her opinion, the shack that the two children had taken up residence in was good only for sleeping in and providing shelter during snow and rain. On a sunny if a bit chilly day like this, Rangiku wanted to go outside and enjoy the weather.

But Gin was quite insistent that she take it easy.

"I told ya," her best friend (a title Rangiku was seriously reconsidering at the moment) chided her. "Yer sick, an' ya need to stay here an' rest."

"I am not sick," the girl stubbornly retorted. She was immediately invalidated by a "Ka-_chew!_"

"Either yer sick, or someone's talkin' 'bout ya a lot."

"You're talking to about me right now!"

"No, I'm talkin' _to_ ya; there's a difference."

"What's the- the- KA-_chew!_" Sniff. "Difference?"

"Ya need to stay here an' rest," Gin ignored her question and repeated his prior instruction. "If ya don't do what I say, I'm gonna have to punish ya."

"You aren't my mother, so- KA-_chew!_" Sniff. "So you can't tell me- dang it, Gin!"

In that one moment she closed her eyes to sneeze, he had slipped out on her. Again. And he neglected to tell her where he was going. _Again_.

Rangiku sighed and lay back down. She immediately noticed how her body welcomed the action, and grudgingly admitted to herself that maybe Gin was right, and maybe she _did _need some rest. While it would have been nice to go outside and enjoy the late autumn weather before snow came, there really was nothing that she absolutely _must_ do today. That was her final thought as her body systems slowed down, and she sank into a catnap.

As Gin explored the nearby forest in search of his favorite persimmon tree, while also being sure to keep an eye out for firewood, the boy heard a commotion and slid into a nearby bush for cover. He peeked out between the branches and saw a group of men walking not too far away. Thankfully, they had not noticed him. Rather than take this opportunity to flee, however, Gin instead chose to follow them, and to learn what threat they might represent.

He knew who they were: shinigami. He had seen all types of shinigami pass through these forests. There were the good ones that slew Hollows and were kind to the residents of the Rukongai, but those were few and far between especially this far out into the districts. The usual shinigami were decent at best; they did their job and little more, keeping justice but otherwise paying little attention to the poorer classes of Soul Society.

And then there were guys like the group Gin saw now. They were men who were nothing more than thugs, and bullied the weaker souls just because they felt like it.

The three men he saw now were only a little different in that they did not torment the residents of the Rukongai for mere pleasure. They were on a mission of some sorts, attacking people seemingly at random and stealing parts of their souls. For what reason, Gin did not know or care. What did concern him was that the victims of these particular shinigami often ended up dead, the very essence of their spirit stolen from them.

With these thugs roaming so close to their neck of the woods, Gin was very glad that Rangiku was staying home today.

He gave idle thought to seeing if he could find a way to kill one or more of the hunters. Gin doubted that anyone would miss them, and it would mean that less nasty people to worry about in the future.

He dismissed the idea after a moment's thought. He didn't want to leave Rangiku alone any longer than he had to, since she was sick right now.

However, the idea that Gin could kill one of those shinigami gave rise to another brainstorm. If _he_, a random peasant of the Rukongai, could kill _them_, fully trained shinigami, then why did Gin and Rangiku have to hide every time those men and others like them showed up? Out here in the Rukongai, it was survival of the fittest. What made him fit enough to survive was his intelligence, and Gin knew that both he and his sole friend had enough spiritual power to require food to survive. Didn't that mean that they had enough power not to be afraid of thugs like the ones roaming the forests of the Rukongai? The only problem was that they lacked the knowledge as to how to make use of that power. And everyone knew that the only place you could learn stuff about spiritual power was the Seireitei.

Tucking that thought to the side for now, Gin resumed his search for food, and finally located the grove. After he had gathered an armful of persimmons and a decent amount of kindling, he decided to return to the shack. Since the persimmons were fresh off the tree, he would not be able to dry them to his liking, but they were better than nothing.

Gin arrived at the shelter, and left the sticks in the small pile he had collected next to the small structure. Then he ducked into the entrance and checked how Rangiku was doing.

His smile turned smug when he saw the golden-haired girl gently napping on the floor. Quietly, he put down the persimmons in a pile by one of the walls, and ducked outside once more for another errand.

Since Rangiku was sick, she needed fluids to drink in addition to rest and food. The river was not that far away, but it would be rather inconvenient for her to walk there as often as she needed. So Gin decided he would take the liberty of acquiring some bowls or a pitcher or some other water container.

After he had procured the needed materials and filled them with water, he returned to the shack. This time, Rangiku was awake, and she greeted him with, "KA-_chew!_"

"I see yer still 'not sick,'" Gin noted smugly as he entered the small shelter with a pitcher of water and a couple of bowls in hand.

"Where'd you go?" Rangiku sniffed, choosing to ignore his smart-aleck remark.

"I jus' went out to get some food an' water."

"You never tell me where you go."

He busied himself with their lunch arrangements, resolutely not looking at her. "Does it matter?"

"Yes! What if something happens to you and- and- KA-_chew!_"

"Don't worry, Rangiku. I can take care o' myself," Gin assured her as he poured water into the two bowls, and set one next to her. "By the way, some nasty folk have been wanderin' a bit close to here, so we'll need to lay low."

"You've already made me stay in while I'm sick," she protested. "If you want me to lay any lower, you'll have to get a shovel and bury me underground!"

"If ya keep complainin' like that, I jus' might take ya up on that."

"But I hate staying in here! It's so boring and dull!"

"Better borin' than dead."

"I hate you."

"No, ya don't."

"KA-_chew!_"

"Ya always know what to say, don't ya, Rangiku?"

"Shut up."

Gin only gave her an impish smile in return as he handed her a persimmon to eat. Somewhat mollified by the offering, Rangiku threw him a half-hearted glare before she took a bite out of her meal. A comfortable silence settled between them as the two friends ate their lunch.

"Rangiku, I was thinkin' earlier," Gin started a conversation after he had finished his first piece.

"What?"

"Why do we gotta run an' hide every time someone nasty comes along? I betcha we both got more reiatsu than most people 'round here."

"But we don't know how to use it."

"So we learn."

"How? KA-_chew!_"

"Easy; we become shinigami."

Rangiku paused as she thought over his words, and asked, "Why?"

"Why not? They got a good place to live, so at least we don't have to worry 'bout starvin'."

"Isn't it dangerous?"

"Wouldn't be fun unless there was a lil' risk."

She cocked an eyebrow at him. "Didn't you just say that it was 'better borin' than dead?'"

"That's different. If we become shinigami, then we'll be strong 'nough that the actual chance o' us dyin' will be lower than if we stay where we are."

The golden-haired child pondered the thought for a minute longer.

"Sure, let's give it a- KA-_chew!_" Sniff. "…give it a try," she finished.

"After yer not sick anymore."

* * *

"Congratulations, Ichimaru Gin," the headmaster intoned as he handed over a scroll bound in a black string. "You have completed the entire Academy course in one year, the fastest graduation in history. Because of your accomplishment, you have been given the privilege of choosing which division to join. While your exact rank is up to the captain, a seated officer position is guaranteed. So, which division is most suited to your abilities and interests?"

The young prodigy knew his answer immediately. He had researched the captains and their divisions after he realized that he could complete his education in an unprecedented single year. With a record like that, Gin suspected they would have accepted him into the legendary and very exclusive First Division if he had asked for it. He had no interest in doing so, of course, for the simple fact that they were all a bunch of stiffs, in his opinion.

The Second Division appealed to him, because sneaking around was something he was good at. There was even the bonus of having a captain with a reputation for being laid-back and fun. But in the end, he concluded the Second was not for him; if he wanted to spend the rest of his life leaping from the shadows and stabbing people in the back, he would have stayed in the Rukongai. And then there was the fact that he wanted to stay with Rangiku. While it would be another few years until she graduated, he was determined to be in a division they would both like. One full of assassins was _not_ the place for his best friend, so the Second was discounted from his options.

Aside from making sure Rangiku would be nearby, the primary factor in Gin's decision was the personality of the captain. For starters, he wanted the person to be fun. He had no desire to suffer under a dry stickler for rules who wouldn't know a good joke if it danced in front of them and recited the history of Soul Society. That's why the First, Sixth, and Ninth Divisions were off his list.

The second factor in his choice that was equally important as the first was education. Gin wanted to actually learn how to fight, and more importantly, how to win. Life in the Rukongai had taught him that there was no honor in battle. It was a fight for survival, and nothing else mattered other than getting out alive. The Eleventh would be a good place to make sure one got training on how to be strong, but Gin did not like to rely on brute strength. He knew that even if he became a captain one day, there would always be someone stronger.

So the solution was to find a division where he could learn how to use strength, speed, and intelligence to win. Again, the Second Division came to mind, but there were other options, such as the Fifth or Thirteenth. He gave some thought to the Twelfth Division, but elected not to on the grounds that their captain was too new. While it would be interesting to witness firsthand how this new captain would handle his position, Gin thought it a better idea to settle on a captain with a more solidified reputation. The Seventh was like the Eleventh in that it emphasized strength, but it was also more balanced, and the captain had a decent reputation.

However, the place that appealed to him the most was…

"The Eighth Division, under Kyōraku-taichō."

* * *

"So, you wish me to teach you the art of war?"

Gin nodded at Kyōraku's solemn request for confirmation.

"Why?" the captain asked.

"We're shinigami, ain't we?" the young Fifth Seat replied. "So we should do the best we can to get stronger an' better."

The colorfully clad captain stroked his stubble. "True, but not many come to me to ask for lessons. After all, I'm not the best fighter in the Gotei 13."

"Quite true," Lisa agreed bluntly. "It goes without saying that both Yamamoto-sōtaichō and Unohana-taichō could wipe the floor with you."

"What about the other captains?" Gin asked knowingly.

"None of them would win a fight against Kyōraku-taichō," the lieutenant answered with the exact same inflection as before.

"Oh, c'mon Lisa-chan," Kyōraku chuckled. "Do you really think that poorly of your superiors?"

"I am simply stating the facts," Lisa said. "The real reason you're reluctant to give Gin lessons is because you'd rather chase women, drink sake, or sleep."

"Now, wait a minute…" the captain protested.

"You will receive your first lessons from Kyōraku-taichō tomorrow an hour after lunch," Lisa informed the younger shinigami.

"Uh, shouldn't I say 'yes' to Gin's request first?"

"He is a prodigy who graduated from the Academy in a single year, and he is asking _you_ for lessons," the lieutenant said. "You do _not_ want him to squander his talents."

"I suppose not," Kyōraku admitted with a wry smile. He heaved a despondent sigh and clambered upright. "Between the two of you, if I'm not careful, you might actually turn me into a respectable captain."

"I shudder at the thought," Gin smiled.

* * *

Gin found her in the mess hall of the Eighth Division. He knew it was her first day here, and that the reserved young girl would probably be eating by herself.

The Fourth Seat had not seen as much of Rangiku as he had wanted during the past five years, between his duties in the Eighth and her studies at the Academy. They still met regularly, although weekly get-togethers became biweekly, and then monthly, and so on. He had at least managed to witness the graduation ceremony, but had not been able to talk with her face-to-face until now.

But as he skimmed the room for a certain strawberry-blonde head, he could not seem to find her. That puzzled him; he knew this was the right place to look for her, and it was lunch hour, but he could not pick out Rangiku among the people who seemed to be sitting alone.

"Please let me fetch your food, milady!"

"Don't! He's a greedy pig who'd eat it before it got here! _I'll_ get it for you!"

"You liar!"

Gin took note of a crowd of young men at one table, and decided to meander over to investigate the commotion.

"I have here an excellent batch of sake! Please have some!"

"I've tasted that swill of yours! Here, this brand is _much_ better!"

"Calm down, boys!" a feminine voice sang, so familiar it also made Gin's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "I'm very grateful for _all_ of your help!"

No doubt about it. And she had seemingly found new ways to have fun. A brief feeling he would eventually identify as "jealousy" churned his insides. Then he dialed his smile to its Mischievous setting and then cleared his throat very audibly.

The men gave a glance over their shoulder at the noise, and then turned back to the object of their adoration. A second later, belatedly realizing who it was behind them, they all simultaneously stood at attention and faced their superior officer.

"Good morning, Fourth Seat Ichimaru!" they all chorused.

The only person who did not get up was the one the men had all been fawning over. She was sitting at the table, and was now looking curiously at what had ripped her fan club away from her. Upon recognizing the person, Rangiku's face lit up with a sunny smile.

"Gin!" she cried happily, and instantly jumped up to hug him.

The silver-haired teen was not normally the touchy-feely type, but he could make an exception for Rangiku. As he returned his childhood friend's embrace, Gin could see the crestfallen looks on the other men at the sight before them.

"Good to see ya, too," he said as gently released her from his arms. "Mind if I join ya fer breakfast?"

"Of course not!" Rangiku replied brightly.

"You two," Gin pointed at the pair of food bearers he had first heard. "Get us some breakfast."

"Yes, sir," they acknowledged despondently.

"An' you two," he gestured to the two drink volunteers. "Get us some water."

"Yes, sir," they answered in the exact same tone as the other two men.

The highly ranked officer then flopped down in a seat and turned his back on them. "The rest o' ya, enjoy yer breakfast."

"Thank you, sir," the other men bowed sadly and dispersed.

"Water?" Rangiku grimaced. "What about the sake?"

"Later," Gin said. "This is yer first day at the Eighth; it wouldn't be a good idea fer ya to show up drunk."

"But the captain does!"

"This ain't his first day, though," he countered. "Once you've been captain fer a few centuries, I'll let ya drink sake in the morning."

"Hmph," Rangiku pouted.

Their conscripted waiters brought them breakfast, and Gin dismissed them with an offhand wave.

"So, how ya likin' the Eighth so far?" he asked after his first bite.

"Great!" she chirped happily.

"Yer welcome," Gin smiled at her.

"Huh?" she looked at him questioningly.

"Who do ya think made sure ya got assigned here?"

Rangiku blinked and regarded him with a blank expression on her face.

"Well, I _am_ the Fourth Seat o' this division," Gin pointed out. "An' the captain's pretty easy-goin', so with his help, I was able to pull a few strings to get ya here."

She looked at him for a moment more before she finally smiled and said, "Thank you, Gin."

* * *

"She needs someone to comfort her," Rangiku argued as they both walked down the corridors of the Eighth Division. "And Captain can't do it right now because with Lisa gone, he's actually doing the paperwork!"

"Well, I ain't stoppin' ya," Gin replied.

"But right now you're the second-highest officer in the Eighth," she continued, "so it's part of your duty to check up on her."

"Yer better at comfortin' people than I am," he protested.

"Which is why I'm coming with you," Rangiku said. "Listen, Gin, at the rate you're climbing the ranks, I wouldn't be surprised if you end up captain someday…"

"Aw, thanks, Rangiku…"

"Shut up and let me finish. As I was saying, if you end up captain, you need to learn how to relate to people in ways other than playing pranks on them."

Gin sighed as they arrived at the door where the youngest member of their division resided. He knew that Rangiku was deliberately leading them here, but he had decided to let her; he felt that this was one of those times where she was _not_ going to give up.

His determined friend knocked on the door and called out, "Nanao-chan, are you in?"

There was a pause before a girl's voice timidly asked, "Who's there?"

"It's Rangiku and Gin," she answered. "Can we come in?"

Another short pause before the resident answered, "Okay."

Rangiku slid the door open and entered the room, Gin close behind her. The latter shut the frame behind him, and they looked at the room's small inhabitant. She was sitting on her futon, hugging a large book to her chest.

"How are you feeling?" the elder girl asked gently as she sat down next to her much smaller teammate. Gin leaned back against the wall as he crossed his arms, and watched the show with a puzzled feeling.

"I'm fine," Nanao answered.

"Are you sure?" Rangiku pressed softly for confirmation. "You know that if you want to talk, Gin and I are here to help."

The bookish girl looked at her visitors cautiously, before she said softly, "I just miss Lisa."

"We all do," Rangiku replied. "She was special to you, wasn't she?"

"She was like a big sister," Nanao confirmed. "Every month she would come and read to me. The night she left was when we were supposed to read."

"Oh," the blonde girl said sympathetically.

Then Rangiku noticed out of the corner of her eye that Gin had not changed his facial expression since they entered the room. Because of how long she had known him, she could tell that his smile was sadder than normal, but Nanao did not have that same benefit.

"Gin!" she hissed at him.

"What?"

"Show some sensitivity and stop smiling!"

"It's all right!" Nanao rushed to say.

"It's _not_ all right," Rangiku disagreed as she glared at her friend.

"It really is!" the younger girl insisted. "It's worse when he doesn't smile!"

Gin and Rangiku both looked at Nanao in interest and surprise, respectively.

"Why do ya say that?" the boy asked in a tone that indicated he was honestly curious at the answer.

"When you're smiling, it's like everything's normal for you, like you can take care of it," the girl explained. "When you've stopped smiling, it means something really _bad_ has happened."

"Like what happened to Lisa?" Rangiku said.

"Yeah," Nanao nodded. "People shouldn't be smiling because of what happened to all those people, not just Lisa, but if it's Ichimaru-san, I'm okay with it. As long as he's smiling, I know everything's going to be all right."

Since her head was bowed as she said this, Nanao did not see Gin and Rangiku sharing surprised looks.

Before either of them could respond, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in, Kyōraku-taichō," Gin said.

"You know it's kind of creepy how you can always tell I'm coming," the captain chuckled lightly as he entered the room, and then turned to the girls. "Hey there, Rangiku-chan, Nanao-chan."

"Hey," Rangiku gave back a brief smile of greeting.

Nanao had jumped to attention when she saw who had entered the room. "I'm honored by your presence, Kyōraku-taichō!"

"How 'come ya didn't stand at attention fer me?" Gin asked.

Their young hostess paled when she realized that she had forgotten to show respect for her Third Seat, and stuttered, "I-I'm sorry, Ichimaru-san! I-!"

"Calm down," the trickster smiled in amusement. "I was jus' teasin' ya."

The little girl seemed to relax slightly at the fox's words, but she still seemed uneasy.

"You don't need to be so formal," Kyōraku chuckled, and then turned a little more serious. "How are you holding up?"

"Fine," Nanao answered as she cautiously sat back down. "Ichimaru-san and Matsumoto-san were visiting."

"That's nice of them," the older man smiled. "Do you mind if I borrow Gin for a moment? There's something I want to talk to him about."

"If Kyōraku-taichō needs him, you don't need to ask me!" Nanao rushed to say.

"It's polite to ask," the captain replied, and nodded to Gin to follow him.

After the two men had left, Rangiku turned to her female companion with a knowing smirk that sent tremors down Nanao's spine.

"_You_," the grinning girl announced mischievously, "have a crush on Gin."

"What?!" Nanao exclaimed with a red face. "No, I don't!"

"'Oh, Ichimaru-san!'" Rangiku sang in a falsetto. "'I _know_ everything's going to be all right as long as _you're_ smiling!'"

Nanao's glasses appeared to have fogged up, and she hastily pulled them off. "That's not what I meant! I mean, that's not what I said!"

"Just admit it, kid, you like him."

"No, I don't, I swear!" Stubbornly Nanao began polishing the lenses with her trailing black sleeve.

"Admit it!"

"I don't, please believe me!"

"Admit it!"

"I promise he's all yours!"

"Admi- wait _what_?"

Rangiku suddenly had a feeling that the conversation had turned the tables on her, and she did _not_ like it. It was made all the worse by the fact that she had both initiated and pursued the topic.

"He's yours," Nanao repeated innocently, and then she finally looked up from cleaning her glasses with slight confusion, she continued, "Isn't that why you were asking?"

"Of course not!" Rangiku protested (and she was _not_ blushing).

"Then why are you always with him?" the girl questioned.

"He's my best friend! That's all!"

Nanao placed her glasses back on her face, and then put a finger to her chin thoughtfully. "I think you're in denial," she finally decided.

"DE-_nial_?!" Rangiku shrilled in a whisper; she was trying to restrain herself from waking the neighbors, but it was hard when Nanao was spouting pure nonsense.

"'A refusal to grant the truth of a statement,'" the bookworm defined helpfully.

"I know what it means! And I'm _not_ in denial!"

"Don't worry, I'm sure Ichimaru-san likes you back. But if you want, I could ask him how he feels about you…"

"_Don't. You. Dare._" Pause. "That's an order!"

* * *

"Gin, are you _sure_ this is a good idea?"

"Hey, Kyōraku-taichō said he was countin' on me to make sure he got work done."

"I don't think this was what he had in mind…"

"All the more reason! Now, on 'three.'"

A sigh of resignation was followed by, "_Fine_."

"One. Two. Three!"

Two buckets filled with icy water were splashed onto the dozing pink-clad captain, and that was the cue for Gin and Rangiku to take off running towards the Eighth Division's main office.

"You'd think a lieutenant on his first day would be nicer to the man who gave him that rank!" Rangiku hollered as they sped through the corridors.

"He didn't give me this badge to be nice!"

"Good thing!"

The pair ran into the captain's office, and then stopped dead in their tracks. Standing in front of them and dripping cold water onto the floor was Kyōraku. He had his arms crossed over his chest, and he was looking down at them with an amused smile and a raised eyebrow.

"And here I was thinking you would come up with something more original than a bucket of water," the captain chided.

"It was quick an' easy, an' did the job right," Gin justified. "If ya want creative, I'll do that next time, 'kay?"

"I do," Kyōraku nodded. "If I'm interrupted from my beauty rest and forced to do paperwork, then I'd prefer it be done in an inventive manner."

"I'll keep that in mind," the new lieutenant saluted playfully.

* * *

"Bye-bye, Yama-jii," Gin called as he and his captain left the office.

The old general merely grunted at the impetuous young man; far less of a reaction than the trickster had been hoping for.

After they were in the hallway, Gin turned to his captain and asked, "Why wasn't he upset when I called him 'Yama-jii?'"

"Because he long ago stopped caring how people refer to him as long as they obey his orders," Kyōraku smiled. "Most people think that since he's the leader of the shinigami, he would prefer to be called by his rank. That's probably true, so I wouldn't advise spreading that bit of information around; it'd be better if his soldiers call him more familiar names of their own initiative."

* * *

Nanao walked through the halls of the Eighth Division, her destination firmly in her mind. While she was the youngest member of the division, complete with the apparent age of an adolescent, she sought to validate her position by performing her duties to the best of her abilities. And right now, those duties meant she needed to deliver a message to her lieutenant.

She stopped in front of the door to the vice-captain's office and went to her knees in the proper position for showing respect for the Second Seat. Nanao knocked once and placed her fists on the ground, keeping her eyes down.

"Ichimaru-fukutaichō!" she announced. "I have a message for you!"

When silence was her only reply, she repeated her statement. Once again, air empty of words greeted her.

Was he not present? No, a quick look with her spiritual senses told her that the lieutenant was definitely inside, as was the Fifth Seat.

She risked sliding the door open. Nanao knew it was not the most proper course of action, but she had learned that in the Eighth Division, people followed the example of their captain and were fairly laid back concerning the more formal aspects of regulations. She saw no reason to act differently, and considering she was on good terms with both the people she detected inside, she took the bold action of opening the lieutenant's door.

Nanao almost fainted from shock at the sight that greeted her.

Fifth Seat Matsumoto was lying on her back on Lieutenant Ichimaru's desk, and on top of her, giving her a very _passionate_ kiss, was the owner of the aforementioned desk himself.

While she had known that the two had (finally) become an official couple recently, it was one thing to be informed of something, and quite another to see its vivid proof.

The romantically inexperienced brunette could only stare in stunned fascination as the couple, oblivious to everything except each other, continued to lock lips.

Nanao's brain restarted when she noticed that their hands were starting to wander to _inappropriate _places.

Rather than interrupt her superiors' private moment, she shut the door as quietly as she could. Even though they should not be kissing while on duty, Nanao was too embarrassed to announce her presence (it wasn't fair how _they_ were the ones caught kissing on duty, and _she_ was the embarrassed one). Red faced and flustered, she decided that the message was not _that_ important, and could wait to be delivered until later. She also declaratively decided that there was a reason rules and regulations were in place, and she intended to follow them to the letter from then on. It would lead to less mental scarring for her in the future.

* * *

"Of all the places to go on vacation, and you suggest _here_?"

"Why not?"

Rangiku threw up her hands in exasperation, encompassing the locale in the same gesture. "We're in the wilder regions of the Rukongai! This isn't usually what a girl imagines for a romantic evening."

Gin simply smiled and sauntered past her. "Well, ya could've said 'no.'"

"I'm still trying to remember how you convinced me in the first place."

"I think it's good fer us." He paused beside a tall tree and patted its trunk, bending in as if to examine the bark. "It'll show us how far we've come."

With a defeated sigh, she followed. Gin and Rangiku hiked through the Sixty-Fourth District of the Rukongai, and kept an eye out for familiar landmarks they had not seen in over fifty years.

"And to celebrate our accomplishments, we make love in our old shack?"

"Well, if ya insist…"

Rangiku snorted, and then her expression turned pensive.

"It's weird, thinking about how much has passed since we were last out here," she admitted. "We've become shinigami, you're a lieutenant and just got Bankai, so you'll make captain soon, I'm a Third Seat…"

"…Who will be my lieutenant when I'm captain," Gin interjected.

"…And then… there's… us," she finished, self-consciously twirling her shoulder-length hair. Rangiku inhaled through her nose, and exhaled through her mouth to calm her jittery nerves. "It's all so new, so big, I can't believe we're…"

"Married?"

"I mean, how many shinigami actually do marry, aside from the nobles?" she asked.

"We're the first I've heard of," Gin said, then putting his hand on her shoulder, he pointed off to the right. "There it is."

Sure enough, the old shack where the newly married couple had once spent their childhood still stood, miraculously intact. It was smaller than Rangiku remembered, and years of neglect left it in even worse shape than it was in when she and Gin lived in it. It was a wonder as to how it remained standing.

As they contemplated how both the people and the scenery had changed over the past few decades, Gin moved his hand down from her shoulder to twine with hers. A light smile appeared on Rangiku's face, and she curled her fingers around her husband's hand.

"All right," she sighed. "Let's go make love in our old shack."

"If ya insist."

* * *

The new, light weight of the haori was resting quite comfortably on Gin's shoulders as the doors to the captain's meeting room opened before the newly promoted silver shinigami.

"Ichimaru-taichō," the old general on the other side of the room said as Gin entered the room. "Take your place with your fellow captains."

The new captain of the Third Division sauntered to the end of the row, and stood next to Aizen, who gave him a friendly smile as he passed. The captain-commander tapped his cane once to announce the commencement of the meeting.

"First order of business: the welcoming ceremony for our newest member," he began. "As you know, the captain's position for the Third Division has been vacant for some time. Yesterday, I in addition to three other captains held the Captain Qualification Exam to determine if he was worthy of this position. We deemed his personality and abilities acceptable. As such, the lieutenant of the Eighth Division, Ichimaru Gin, is now the commanding officer of the Third Division."

The ceremony continued as planned, and its conclusion, Gin formally announced his choice of lieutenant. The recipient surprised no one. Ichimaru Rangiku came forward, hardly able to suppress her smile, and accepted the arm badge from First Lieutenant Sasakibe Chōjirō. The vibrant brightness of her expression prompted the elder man to smile in return, and he murmured a quiet but warm, "Congratulations" to her as she set the insignia of her rank in place.

After the meeting had concluded, Yamamoto called, "Ichimaru-taichō and Ichimaru-fukutaichō, you will stay."

Mildly confused, the two obeyed, and after the last of the other captains and lieutenants left, the captain-commander began. "I do not need to remind you that your new positions will require more responsibility from you."

The recently promoted pair did not speak, as they knew their commander still had more to say.

"And I have no issues with a captain being married to his lieutenant," the general continued. "_However_."

"Knew there was a 'however' comin'," Gin muttered to his wife. While Rangiku wanted to warn him to keep quiet, it still made her smile

Yamamoto glared from his nearly closed eyes, and the other captain looked back innocently through his similarly nigh-shut lids.

"_However_," the captain-commander growled as soon as he was sure the fox would not interject again, "I fully expect that you do not let each other become a distraction from your duties."

"Of course not," Rangiku assured him.

"Therefore, I _fully_ expect to receive paperwork from the Third Division, _on time and completed_."

Both Ichimarus grimaced at the prospect of the increased workload their new rank would incur.

"Am I clear?" Yamamoto demanded.

"Yes, sir."

"Sure thing, Yama-jii."

"Good. You are dismissed."

* * *

Rangiku stood to the left of her husband as they faced the seated officers of the Third Division. She knew that with the absence of both a captain and a lieutenant had severely hampered the Third's performance, and she could tell by the hopeful looks on their subordinates' faces that they were quite glad to see them. However, more than a few were sporting more cautious looks, doubtless because of _who_ the pick for their captain was; Gin's reputation preceded him, after all.

"Which one o' ya is Third Seat Kira Izuru?" Gin began.

"I am, sir," a blond man in the front row stepped forward in response.

"Get up here an' stand next to me," the captain ordered.

With a face full of mild confusion, Kira moved to Gin's right side.

"While Rangiku is my lieutenant," the captain explained, "yer the guy who's been with these people all these years, so yer the guy who's gonna tell me all the secrets of the Third Division."

Rangiku smiled at her husband's shrewd maneuver. Captains were the sole and absolute authority in their divisions, and they chose one person as their personal assistant, or as they were known by their official title, lieutenant. Since the top two ranks were so tightly knit together, the gap between them in terms of authority was far narrower than the gap between lieutenant and Third Seat. By declaring Kira as a person who would stand by his side, as a figure with only marginally less authority than a lieutenant, Gin had demonstrated to his new division that he intended to lead them sincerely and with the best of his abilities.

Her husband may still be somewhat lacking when it came to empathy, but he definitely knew how to lead.

* * *

"So who's this?"

Rukia was brought out of her musings by the man she had just been studying. She saw that he was now openly looking at her, and she felt as if she were a rabbit sighted by a fox. Rukia could not truly put her finger on it, but there was something… _off_ about this silver-haired captain.

"This is my sister, Kuchiki Rukia," her adoptive brother introduced formally. "Rukia, this is Ichimaru Gin, the captain of the Third Division."

She bowed to the waist in respect of the other superior officer.

"It is an honor to meet you," she said, and hoped that her manners were acceptable to her noble lord brother. She had yet to learn all the intricacies of social etiquette, but so far it seemed like she had managed to live up to whatever standards he held her to.

"Pleased to meet ya," the fox grinned. "I see bein' stiff is a family trait, though."

"I apologize if I offended you, Ichimaru-taichō," Rukia said quickly.

"Don't worry 'bout it," Ichimaru chuckled lightly. "I was just teasin' ya. Both ya an' yer brother got the same humorless genes after all."

"She is not a blood relative," Byakuya corrected. "We recently adopted her into the Kuchiki clan."

"Oh? Ya wouldn't be able to tell by lookin' at her, standin' an' speakin' all proper-like," the serpentine captain said. "So, Rukia-chan, where d'ya come from?"

"The Rukongai, sir," she answered, and hoped that she did not offend Byakuya by mentioning her lowly origins.

"No kiddin'!" Ichimaru said enthusiastically. "Same here! Nice to run into a fellow survivor."

How was she to respond to that? Fortunately, Ichimaru continued on without waiting for her to reply.

"So ya see, I'm livin' proof that anyone can make it here in the Gotei 13. I came from the Sixty-Fourth District, an' look at me now: captain of a respected division, an' married to a beautiful woman!"

Rukia mentally gave her condolences to that unfortunate female.

"An' already, yer doin' well fer yerself, gettin' adopted into a great noble house! Who knows, maybe one day ya could have a division of yer own," Ichimaru continued.

"I very much doubt that, Ichimaru-taichō," Rukia said.

"An' modest, too. Kuchiki-taichō, ya sure know how to pick 'em."

"Do you have any serious business with us, Ichimaru-taichō?" Byakuya asked coldly.

Gin put a finger to his chin as if giving the matter serious consideration, then answered, "Nope."

"Then, if you will excuse us, we will take our leave now."

Rukia followed in her brother's wake after they gave their bows and departed. She could not bring herself to look back at that man, nor could she shake the horrible suspicion that if she did, it would be to find he was still watching her with those seemingly closed eyes and unnerving smile.

It was well that she did not. Because he was.

* * *

"Who's this, Rangiku?"

Shūhei went stiff at the sound of the unfortunately familiar voice of Captain Ichimaru.

"Ah, Gin! This is Hisagi Shūhei! He's the new lieutenant for the Ninth Division!" Rangiku introduced cheerfully. "Hisagi-san, have you met Gin yet?"

"We have not been formally introduced before, but it's an honor to do so now," Shūhei bowed to the superior officer, doing his best to keep the nervousness out of his voice. He had not been attempting anything inappropriate with Rangiku, but it was common knowledge that Captain Ichimaru was not the most mentally stable person in existence. Who knew what the man would consider "inappropriate" regarding his wife?

Or was he overthinking this? After all, he was hardly the only person who had eyes for beautiful woman, but Shūhei would never consider propositioning her, considering her status as married. There were nasty rumors about what happened to those who _had_, though.

"Rangiku, mind headin' on? Hisagi an' I need to have some man-talk."

"Okay, but please don't break his mind."

Shūhei's head snapped around to regard her in disbelief, even as the captain responded, "I'll do my best."

Rangiku pecked her husband on the lips and walked on, thus leaving Shūhei alone with Ichimaru Gin.

"I know that ya think my wife is beautiful," the silver-haired captain began, and the scarred lieutenant gulped. "An' I know that ya think that I'm here to threaten ya an' make sure ya don't do anythin' naughty with her."

Shūhei tried to stammer out his denial that he would do anything inappropriate to such a respected and off-limits beauty, but being stared down by this menacing figure was making it difficult to talk.

"But don't worry, I've never killed a guy fer lookin' at her wrong," Ichimaru told Shūhei, and it certainly sounded to the younger man like he was _trying_ to be reassuring.

Then the captain leaned in close, that smile growing ever wider, and said, "I jus' help Rangiku bury the bodies."

Shūhei's jaw dropped. The captain took that as his cue to exit stage left, and clapped him on the shoulder as he passed. The shivering lieutenant wondered if he would ever find out if Ichimaru was joking or not.

* * *

_For the crime of bestowing shinigami powers to a living human, Kuchiki Rukia has been sentenced to execution via the Sōkyoku twenty-five days hence. This is the final decision by the Central Forty-Six._

In their office in the Third Division, Gin and Rangiku looked at each other after hearing the message from the hell butterfly.

"Poor Rukia-chan," the former vagabond shook his head in dismay, and his smile was tainted by sadness.

"It was surprising to hear that the Central Forty-Six had ordered her execution," Rangiku agreed as she paused in filling out a form. "I wonder why they thought she deserved the death penalty."

"'Cause they're jerks."

"Well, that's a given, but I'm surprised they would have the guts to kill off someone from the Kuchiki clan without a second thought."

"Kuchiki-taichō didn't look like he cared much," Gin told her. "Though he never looks like he cares 'bout anythin'."

"You ran into him?"

"Kenpachi an' I did, right after he told Rukia-chan they were gonna execute her."

Rangiku stopped working and snapped her head at her husband. "You left Zaraki and Kuchiki in the same room together?"

"Don't be silly," Gin corrected her without looking up from his paperwork. "We were standin' on a walkway."

"Oh, of course. And that will make sure those two would behave," she said sarcastically.

"Don't worry, I pulled Kenpachi away when things got a lil' heated," Gin assured her.

"…You pulled Zaraki Kenpachi away from a fight?"

"Yep."

"I thought only Unohana or Yamamoto could do that. Or Yachiru, if she wanted candy badly enough."

"It wasn't that hard. I just tied him up."

There was silence in their shared office for a time. Then, "…You tied him up."

"He wasn't happy 'bout it."

Rangiku stared at her husband for a few moments longer, looking for any sign that he was pulling her chain. After not detecting anything, she said, "Gin, every time I'm starting to think you've finished doing the impossible, you do something to top it."

"Anythin' to keep life excitin' fer my Rangiku."

She smiled, but they both sobered when they remembered the original topic.

"I'm gonna miss Rukia-chan," Gin said mournfully with that same sad smile.

"I wish there was something we could do to at least make sure she lived," Rangiku agreed. "But if the Central Forty-Six ordered an execution for a noble from one of the Four Great Houses, they're definitely not going to lessen her sentence because of anything we might say."

"We could kill 'em," he suggested.

"Don't even joke about that."

Gin turned his head to her, and his eyes came open fully. "Ya think I'm kiddin'?"

"Yes." Her reply was less an answer to his question, and more an order for him to behave.

* * *

**Author's Note**: This will be a Gin-centric fic, but I will be exploring other scenes and perspectives that have been changed in this timeline.

This is not meant to be a fix-fic (except for a couple of spots where I think Common Sense is _sorely _needed), where Gin's presence is a Cure-All for the Gotei 13's problems. While there are a lot of benefits of having Ichimaru Gin remain loyal to Soul Society, there will also be downsides. Some of these consequences will be because of changed choices on account of this alternate timeline, while other occurrences will simply result from the Butterfly Effect, and _could_ have easily happened in canon, but did not.

FYI: I have already written the entire story out, so you don't have to worry about this fanfic ending up dead. I will be releasing a new chapter every week or so.

Also note this: any canon scenes that do not appear in this story are unchanged.

Last but not least, I would like to give my thanks to **Tomas the Betrayer** for being the Beta to this story.

* * *

**Omake: Arrancar Encyclopedia**

Gin faced his audience with his lips in their usual position. He was not clothed in a shinigami uniform, but instead in the standard attire of those who inhabited Las Noches. He held a pointer in one hand, which he tapped twice in his palm as he started speaking.

"Hello, and welcome to the first episode of 'Arrancar Encyclopedia!'" he greeted cheerfully. "Today, we'll be talkin' 'bout alternate timelines."

He stepped to the side and readied his pointer for when the slideshow would begin, but blinked in confusion as nothing appeared on the screen.

"No, no, no, NO!"

Gin's confusion compounded when he heard the irked tone in Rangiku's voice as she stormed onto the set.

"What is it, Ran-chan?"

"There will be NO Arrancar Encyclopedia in this fanfic!"

"Eh? Why not?"

"Because when you did these segments, you were a traitor to Soul Society! And more importantly, away from _me_! And since Gin will NOT be leaving the Gotei 13 this time, he will NOT be doing these silly Arrancar Encyclopedia bits!"

"Oh c'mon, it's just fer fun!"

"I mean it, Gin! This omake series is OVER!"

With that declaration, Rangiku reached to the top of the screen and pulled down a blackdrop with "THE END" printed in white.

Gin popped up from the bottom of the screen and said, "Don't worry, we'll still be doin' an omake at the end o' each chapter. 'Til next time!"


	2. Invasion

Ichigo's expression of amazement at the herculean strength of the West Gate guardian turned into puzzlement as the enormous man suddenly froze.

"What's wrong, Jidanbo?" he asked as he walked up to the giant's side.

A closer look revealed that the gatekeeper was trembling in terror, his eyes wide and focused in front of him. Ichigo turned to look to spot a single man walking calmly towards them. Just like the other shinigami the substitute had met (granted he could count that number on one hand), he was wearing a black shihakusho and hakama. But a notable difference to his uniform was the addition of a white haori.

The orange-haired teenager scoffed, unimpressed. "Who's _that_ guy?"

"T-Tōsen Kaname, captain of the Ninth Division," Jidanbo stuttered through his fear.

"What is going on here?" the newly arrived man inquired, taking in the scene before him.

Jidanbo bowed his head and explained, "I lost; a defeated gatekeeper must open the gate for the victor."

"That is incorrect," the captain rebuked him as he walked towards the trembling giant. "Your duty as a gatekeeper is to prevent invaders from entering the Seireitei, even if it means your life."

"B-but, they spared my life when I lost," Jidanbo protested.

"Then your crime is not only treason, but cowardice," Tōsen pronounced without forgiveness, and then turned to the would-be invaders. "I will give you this one warning: retreat and I will let you go. I have no wish to spill blood, but if you force my hand, then I will demonstrate to you the consequences of your actions."

"Nice offer," Ichigo grinned ferociously. "But I got this rule against running away from guys who threaten to kill unarmed men. Here's a better deal: run away now, and I won't kick your sorry butt all the way home."

"Ichigo!" Yoruichi barked at him. "Back off! We need to retreat!"

"What?" he replied incredulously as he turned to look at the sentient feline. "I can't just run away; just give me a second to beat him and…"

"Are you Kurosaki Ichigo?"

The orange-haired substitute shinigami stopped midsentence and turned his attention back to his opponent.

"Uh, yeah, how'd you know?"

"Then that is all the more reason why I cannot let you enter," Tōsen replied, and brought his zanpakutō up once more, this time with the blade raised vertically in front of his face. "Cry, Suzumushi."

Ichigo froze for a moment as the noiseless scream hit his ears. He was still for a few more seconds before he fell to his knees and screamed as he held his ears at the pain. Jidanbo was not so fortunate; he had been knocked completely unconscious by the attack of the captain's Shikai.

The giant toppled, and the massive gate began to descend upon both men.

"Sho!"

A simple but strong blast of kidō from the captain sent both of the helpless warriors into the air to land on the ground, one dead to the world and one who felt like someone had used his head as the clapper for a particularly loud bell.

Cries of alarm came from the other humans, and Uryū turned around just in time to see Tōsen depart without so much as a goodbye before the gate closed completely.

"Are you all right, Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime asked worriedly as she and the other two humans ran forward to check on their friend.

"They'll be fine," Yoruichi assured her. "Jidanbo is just unconscious, but he'll have a headache when he wakes up like the one Ichigo is suffering right now."

"What was _that_?" the mentioned human groaned as he shook his head in the attempt to clear his ears from the insistent ringing.

"A sound-based attack," the cat answered. "You were able to resist its affects more because of your higher reiatsu. Jidanbo, on the other hand, didn't stand a chance."

"Is he…?" Ichigo asked in concern.

"He'll be fine," Yoruichi repeated patiently with the knowledge that the substitute probably had not heard the first reassurance due to the aftereffects of the sonic attack.

"What about the gate?" Ichigo looked at their port of entrance, only to see it had reunited with its old friend the ground. He cursed at their ill fortune.

"Don't worry about it," the cat informed him. "With Tōsen as your opponent, there was no other outcome. Just be glad that he was feeling merciful and only gave you a headache."

* * *

"Hey, sorry I'm late," Gin apologized without true regret in his voice as he entered the captains' meeting room and counted eleven other haori-clad people inside. While the more rule-abiding captains were giving him mildly annoyed looks, Gin did not become concerned about his tardiness in earnest until he noticed that Kenpachi was already there. The unofficial rule among the captains was that if you arrived after Kenpachi, you were inexcusably and tragically late. He noticed that there was still someone absent, and that person was usually reliable about attendance. "Where's Ukitake-taichō? Somethin' happen?"

"He's on sick leave," Tōsen answered from his position between the two lines of captains. Even if one allowed for the fact that captains were expected to keep a level of self-control, he seemed awfully calm about being called on for his actions at the West Gate.

"Again?" Gin's smile dropped in genuine concern. "I hope he gets well."

"Shut it," Kenpachi barked impatiently. "I want to ask _this_ guy why he went off to play with some ryoka."

"Okay, okay," the silver-haired man chuckled easily, his smile returning to its normal position as he took in line his spot next to Aizen. "Ask away."

"Like I just said," the berserker captain continued, focusing his attention on Tōsen, "why'd you go off and fight 'em? Actually, the better question is why you didn't finish 'em off."

"Justice is the Path of Least Bloodshed," Tōsen replied simply. "I gave the ryoka the option to retreat and cease their attack. Blood did not need to be spilt."

While Gin knew that Tōsen had a fixation on "Justice" and "the Path of Least Bloodshed" (capitalization required), there was something off about his story. The reasons he gave were logical and consistent with his personality, but Gin had a feeling that there was another reason for the sparing of the ryoka.

"Don't tell me you're getting squeamish," Kenpachi taunted.

"Just because I choose not to draw blood when there is no reason does not mean I will hesitate to kill when I have to," the blind captain retorted. "Not all of us are mindless brutes."

A stern tap on the floor by the captain-commander's cane prevented a snarly rebuttal from the Eleventh Division captain.

"Tōsen-taichō, you should know better than to deal lightly with intruders, no matter their power level," Yamamoto rebuked.

"I understand, Captain-Commander," Tōsen submitted with a nod of his head.

Gin had to give points to the guy for not making any excuses on his actions.

Before anything else could be said, the alarm rang and alerted the captains that, once again, uninvited and unwanted guests were inbound.

"Intruders?" Aizen said with a level of surprise.

"Sounds like yer ryoka decided to come back," Gin commented to the man on trial, his ever-present smile now attaining a mocking tone.

"An unwise decision," Tōsen noted.

"Now are ya sorry for lettin' 'em go?"

"I am not. I warned them, and they failed to heed my words; their blood is now on their own hands."

It was not a surprise to anyone when Kenpachi was the first to dash out of the meeting room, no doubt seeking to be the first one to fight the ryoka.

"Tch. It was unavoidable," was Yamamoto's only comment on the truculent man's departure, and then addressed the rest of the captains. "This meeting is temporarily on hold; we will continue this discussion later, as well as Tōsen-taichō's punishment. Now, get to your divisions!"

A chorus of affirmatives answered their general and the group of elites dispersed to exit the room.

However, Gin wanted to have one little chat with Tōsen before they ran off to their respective divisions.

"These ryoka sure got convenient timin'," he noted as he stepped next to his blind peer.

"What do you mean?" Tōsen inquired.

"I mean jus' as Yama-jii's 'bout to discipline ya, the alarm rings, and yer punishment's postponed," Gin explained. "That means if ya do well against these intruders, then Yama-jii might forgive yer little mistake at the West Gate an' choose not to punish ya."

An edge entered the rigid man's voice, "I hope you are not insinuating that I have manipulated this attack on the Seireitei."

"'Course not," the fox replied easily. "Yer not that smart."

"Ichimaru-taichō," Tōsen said evenly, "if your intent is nothing more than to aggravate me, then please save it for when we are _not_ under attack from intruders."

Without waiting for a response, the sightless captain strode off.

At the edge of his peripheral vision, Gin noticed Aizen giving him a subtle glance of his own.

"Ya got somethin' to say, Aizen-taichō?" he asked as he turned towards him.

"Only that your humor was poorly timed," the Fifth Division captain replied. "As Tōsen-taichō pointed out, we _are_ about to be invaded."

"Ya really think he'd find my teasin' funnier at any other time?"

"Probably not," Aizen admitted with a slight smile. "Come on, let's go before Yamamoto-sōtaichō scolds us."

It did not escape Gin's notice that Hitsugaya was giving him and Aizen considering looks as they departed for good. Whatever suspicions the little captain had about the pair of them, Gin was sure they would be incorrect. Still, it might be a little fun to tease the white-haired youngster's paranoia.

Maybe some other time, after this invasion business was over and done with.

* * *

"Emergency Alert! Emergency Alert! Intruders in the Seireitei! All divisions take defense positions! Repeat…"

Kira Izuru jogged briskly through the streets, following only a few steps behind his captain.

"Look!"

The yell halted both officers, and they turned their heads in search for whatever had caught the attention of the caller.

Coming in from the west was a small bright light, appearing just a little larger than the morning star as it streaked through the clouds and towards the invisible walls of the Seireitei.

Kira gasped as he saw the light directly hit the Shokanmaku, and continued to push against the resistance. Which _should _have been impossible, as anything that small _should_ have been destroyed immediately. He looked to his captain to gauge his reaction, but quickly realized the futility of that maneuver. As always, Hitsugaya's face was as cold and as impassive as an iceberg. Even when faced with intruders doing what _should_ be impossible, that did not change now.

"They're getting through," Hitsugaya noted calmly. If he felt any surprise at this, it was not evident in his voice.

The blond lieutenant jerked his head back upwards with a start and saw that his superior was right. With a crackling of electrical energy and ripples across the anti-soul shield, the small sphere of light had succeeded in penetrating through the outer walls of the Seireitei.

A moment later, there was an explosion, and four orange streaks of light split off into different directions.

"So, there are at least four of them; that matches up with Tōsen's report that there were five intruders who attempted to enter through the West Gate," Hitsugaya continued to note coolly, and finally looked at his second in command. "Kira, alert the rest of the division; tell them to begin their patrols closest to where those ryoka land."

"Yes, sir!" he confirmed, and set off to carry out his orders.

* * *

Gin had yet to come back from the captains' meeting, so Rangiku took it upon herself to organize the Third in response to the ryoka invasion. She led her own personal patrol through the corridors of the Seireitei to intercept the invaders, and kept her eyes on the sky as they neared the light source above them. From the looks of the trajectory, it was very likely that one of the ryoka would land near their position.

"Get ready," Rangiku commanded as she saw that the meteor-like object was rapidly closing in on them.

She and her subordinates stopped and put their swords into position, but just as the unidentified falling object was about to crash into them, it suddenly brightened and then disappeared.

Rangiku blinked in confusion at the unexpected lack of an enemy to fight.

"Did anyone else see a black cat in there?"

Judging by the "are you mad?" looks they gave her, she surmised they had not. Well, whatever it was, they needed to find it. While she could not detect any foreign reiatsu nearby, surely the invader (feline or not) could not have gotten far.

* * *

The reddening of the horizon alerted Rangiku that her patrol time was nearly at an end, much to her relief. Despite searching since the break-in at dawn, with only a thirty-minute break for lunch, she had no more luck in finding the ryoka than the rest of the Gotei 13 did. Then again, since everyone who _had_ encountered the ryoka ended up in the Fourth, perhaps luck _was_ on her side. With each new report that came in, the bar kept getting higher and higher as to determining the strength and power of the invaders.

Rangiku was just about to call an end to her patrol when she felt a familiar spiritual signature clash with a foreign one not too far away.

"Renji!" she gasped out, and then spun to face her subordinates. "Abarai Renji is in combat with the enemy! We have to get to him as quickly as possible!"

But by the time they arrived, the fight was already over. And to Rangiku's shock and horror, it was not in her friend's favor. Renji was lying face down in a steadily growing puddle of his own blood, and his spiritual pressure was dwindling by the second.

Two of her men rushed forward to check on the fallen lieutenant's condition.

Rangiku realized that even after all the casualties they had suffered, the Gotei 13 had underestimated the ryoka. If they were able to beat Renji, one of the stronger lieutenants, in a fight, then that meant only the captains were able to stop the invasion now.

"It seems his opponent has escaped," one of her men noted. "Should we follow?"

Rangiku focused her thoughts on the current situation. On the one hand, while the ryoka had indeed defeated Renji, she found it highly unlikely that it was an easy victory for him. Considering that the clash had ended only minutes before, the assailant could not have gotten far. If they pursued now, then it meant a greater chance of catching up with the invader and defeating him while still recovering from his battle wounds.

But that idea quickly ended after she sensed how Renji's spiritual reserves were draining; he needed medical attention _now_.

"No," she finally decided. "Prepare a stretcher, and take him to the nearest relief station."

She did not even want to send an officer or two after the ryoka, because she knew that even if they caught up with him, it would end with their defeat. After all, if the intruder could defeat Renji and walk away without leaving too much blood behind for a trail, then that meant he was not heavily injured enough to fall before a couple of low-ranking shinigami. Rangiku supposed she could have pursued the ryoka herself, but decided that it might be a better idea to ensure Renji's wellbeing first.

After they had ensured the safe transport of the patient, Rangiku dismissed her men. She stayed, not only because Renji needed someone to look out for him, but also because she felt two familiar shinigami fast approaching the relief station. Within seconds after her men had left, Kira and Hinamori rushed into the room.

"We felt Abarai-kun's levels disappear!" the petite girl blurted out. "Is he all right?"

"He's not dead," Rangiku assured her. "But he is heavily wounded. However, I do think that he'll survive if a healer tends to his wounds soon."

"I'll call the Fourth Division, and have them send an advanced relief unit," Kira volunteered.

"That will be unnecessary."

The three lieutenants froze as they heard the taciturn voice of Renji's commanding officer. They turned to find Kuchiki Byakuya making his way into the room.

"Kuchiki-taichō?" Hinamori said inquiringly, as if she did not believe the words that had emerged from the noble's mouth.

He continued as if she had not spoken. "Put him in a holding cell."

"B-but he fought a ryoka by himself!" Hinamori protested.

"I will not hear excuses," Kuchiki cut off her words. "To enter a fight alone means that defeat is utterly unacceptable. I have no need of a fool who does not comprehend that. He is an eyesore. Take him this instant."

With his order declared, the lord turned and walked away.

Hinamori was incensed by the lack of regard for the lieutenant's condition. Her fists clenched in fury, and impulsively she called out, "Please wait a moment! You make it sound like Abarai-kun-!"

"Don't!" Kira snapped his arm up in front of her to prevent the girl from being insubordinate to the strict captain, who had merely stopped and turned his head after she had started protesting.

"Kira-kun…"

Rangiku could tell that the betrayed tone in Hinamori's voice stung Kira, but the elder woman understood his reasoning; if he had not stopped her, she had no idea what Captain Kuchiki would have done to ensure the girl knew her place. If a condemned sister and unconscious lieutenant were any indication, the results would _not_ have been good.

"My deepest apologies," Kira said as he bowed to the waist.

Reluctantly, Hinamori seemed to understand his intention, following his lead and forced out, "My deepest apologies."

Rangiku was third in the procession as she bowed to the waist and repeated their statement of penance.

Satisfied that the lieutenants knew how to show the proper respect towards their betters, Captain Kuchiki left without another word.

After he was gone, the three of them straightened up, and Rangiku spoke first. "Now that he's gone, let's follow orders and take Renji to the holding cells…"

"But he's injured!" Hinamori protested.

"…to the holding cells in the Fourth Division," Rangiku finished with a smirk.

Kira and Hinamori blinked, and the latter smiled in relief at her exploitation of the loophole.

"Yes, but the Fourth is a bit far," Kira pointed out. "I'm not sure if it would be a good idea to carry him all the way there, considering the state of his injuries. And since Kuchiki-taichō ordered us not to call them here…"

"Actually, I already sent the request," Rangiku admitted. "I knew Renji would need major healing done, so I sent a hell butterfly to the Fourth as we transported him here."

"So when Kuchiki-taichō told us not to…" Kira said hesitantly.

"He didn't think we already had," Hinamori chirped with relief.

"Very sneaky," a new voice said in approval.

Rangiku yelped in surprise, and the trio of lieutenants turned to see Gin leaning against the wall as if he had been there all along.

"Gin!" Rangiku scolded, "How many times do I have to tell you not to surprise me like that?"

"But it's so much fun," he teased, pushing himself off the wall and joining the three vice-captains.

"You won't think it's fun if I die of a heart attack because you snuck up on me one time too many," Rangiku growled.

"Well then, all I have to do is not sneak up on ya one time too many," Gin smirked back.

"Excuse me, Ichimaru-taichō," Hinamori hesitantly asked. "Why are you here?"

"Jus' wanted to spend time with my beautiful wife," Gin answered.

Rangiku tried to hold back a smile; she was not _quite_ ready to give up her glare on him yet, but his compliments eroded her desire to continue it

"Oh, an' to make sure she don't get into trouble fer callin' the Fourth when Kuchiki-taichō told her not to," he went on. "If he raises a stink, I'll say that I called 'em."

"You don't need to do that," Rangiku protested.

"Yer a lieutenant," Gin retorted. "He's a captain. If ya do somethin' he don't like, Kuchiki-taichō can get ya into trouble fer insubordination. If I do somethin' he don't like, all he can do is throw daggers with his eyes. Got it?"

Rangiku nodded, and finally decided that her husband no longer deserved her glare.

"So, ya ready to go yet?" the silver captain asked his wife.

"Not yet," she responded. "I want to make sure the healers get here."

"'Kay," he shrugged.

"Looks like Abarai got himself into some trouble."

The three lieutenants jumped and looked at Hitsugaya, who had appeared behind their backs in the same silent, sudden manner as Kuchiki and Gin. With all the captains sneaking up on them, Rangiku would not have been surprised if Soifon decided to drop by and give them a heart attack before the night was over.

"Tōshirō!" Hinamori cried out, the most startled of the three lieutenants.

"It's Hitsugaya-taichō, in case you've forgotten," he coolly corrected. "Are you sure you want to address your superior in such an informal way?"

"Never mind that! More importantly, why don't you captains make any noise when you walk?!" demanded a frustrated Hinamori, irked by the fact that this was the third time in so many minutes that she had been startled in such a way.

Gin, the only one unperturbed by Hitsugaya's sudden appearance, took in the scene with amusement, but the arrival of this captain spooked Rangiku, as evidenced by the fact that her hand had dropped to her zanpakutō the moment she heard his voice.

On the surface, there were not that many differences between Kuchiki and Hitsugaya. They were both sticklers for the rules, kept a nearly emotionless mask on their face, and based on available evidence, they were almost completely heartless. But the fact of the matter was, Rangiku felt marginally safer around the noble than she did around the new prodigy. While both could be relied upon to uphold the law of the Seireitei, the former did it out of responsibility and pride in his noble duties. Hitsugaya, on the other hand, was a wild card to her.

She had to admit, Rangiku did not have a solid reason to fear the captain of the Tenth. His official record marked him as a powerful and efficient shinigami, and had indeed earned his haori despite his young age. His reputation among the lower ranks was a bit more ambiguous. Everyone in the Tenth claimed Hitsugaya as the best captain, but it was par for the course among the rank-and-file of each division to idolize their commanding officer. However, even they would admit that Hitsugaya seemed to care little for the lives of his men. Yes, he was by the book and ensured all the needs of the Tenth Division were tended to according to regulations, but it was all just cold maintenance.

None of the above reasons were sufficient enough to explain why Rangiku felt goosebumps every time Hitsugaya came near her. She wanted to pass it off as a side-effect of his icy reiatsu emissions, but no one else seemed bothered by it like she was.

True, Hitsugaya seemed to have a little soft spot for Hinamori, but despite Rangiku's close friendship with the girl, she could not bring herself to like the creepy teenager.

* * *

_The Shinigami Women's Association was holding an event where members would be "Nee-sans" to some of the new initiates for one week. Rangiku was partnered up with the Fifth Seat from the Fifth Division, a petite brunette by the name of Hinamori Momo. The "elder sister" was glad that she got this adorable sweetheart as her "little sister." The two had hit it off immediately upon meeting each other, and now they were chatting excitedly with each other as Rangiku led Hinamori to some of her favorite shops._

"_Tōshirō!" Hinamori suddenly called out as she glanced to the side and caught sight of someone. She waved at the person enthusiastically, and Rangiku turned to examine the new arrival._

_The boy apparently named "Tōshirō" was short, serious, and holding a stack of paperwork under his left arm. And cute; _very _cute. He was not cute as in, "I'd like to have a drink with this guy." He was cute as in, "I want to snuggle up with him like he's a teddy bear." He was looking at the girl calling his name with mild annoyance._

_As the two girls walked up to him, he informed the brunette, "It's Hitsugaya-fukutaichō now, Hinamori."_

_That was when Rangiku glanced down to his arm for the first time and saw the badge denoting his rank._

"_I haven't seen you at the lieutenant meetings before," she said._

"_I was just recently promoted," Tōshirō told the other lieutenant. "There hasn't been a meeting for the lieutenants since my appointment yet."_

"_Congratulations," Rangiku smiled in an attempt to be friendly, but it fell flat at the white-haired youth's icy composure. Still, she was not discouraged yet. "Ooh, it looks like someone needs a hug…"_

_The boy fixed her with a frozen glare, and all desire to hug the "cutie" went cold with it. Hitsugaya's adorable appearance hid it very well, but now that he was being threatened with physical contact, Rangiku could now clearly see how his eyes held all the warmth of a polar winter. Those eyes warned her that if she so much as opened her arms to hold him, he _would_ retaliate._

"_But since you don't seem to be the hugging type, I won't," Rangiku finished out loud._

"_Uh, Nee-san, you said the shop you wanted to show me was nearby," Hinamori intervened nervously, obviously detecting the new tension in the air, and then said to Hitsugaya, "I'll see you later, Tōshirō!"_

_The boy simply nodded at her and continued on his way._

"_Sorry about Tōshirō," Hinamori apologized to Rangiku as they walked on. "He's not really a people-person."_

"_I noticed," Rangiku commented dryly._

* * *

"What are you doing here anyway?!" Hinamori continued on, but then paused in her rant as her brain caught up with her words, and then asked in a calmer tone, "Why _are_ you here?"

"I came to see for myself the type of power we are facing," Hitsugaya replied as he glanced over the condition of the unconscious redhead. "I had heard that at least one of the ryoka is strong enough to defeat a lieutenant."

He paused and looked directly at Hinamori. "And that is why I'm now assigning Kira to be your escort."

"Tōshirō!" she protested indignantly. "I can take care of myself!"

"Hinamori, this is common sense," he rebutted. "We're dealing with foes that can send lieutenants to the Fourth Division. It is simply not safe for anyone under the rank of captain to travel alone. This measure is as much for Kira as it is for you."

"I'll be with other officers of the Fifth, so it's not like I'll be by myself!"

"And are they here right now?

"No…"

"And do you believe that they are equal in strength to Kira?"

"No, but he still has duties in the Tenth, doesn't he?"

"Kira," Tōshirō turned to his lieutenant, "Which do you consider a higher priority: your normal duties in the Tenth, or the safety of Hinamori?"

"Hinamori-kun's safety," Kira replied without hesitation.

The girl threw up her hands in frustration. "Both of you are overprotective! I'll be fine!"

"Hinamori, which rank is higher: captain or lieutenant?" the ice-haired officer now asked.

"Captain," she answered reluctantly.

"Then, as _captain_, I am ordering you to let Kira be your escort."

"You're hopeless," Hinamori sighed, and then smiled slightly. "But I guess I should be thankful that I have two good friends looking out for me."

Rangiku noted with amusement that Kira flushed at Hinamori's words, and the optimistic part of herself which looked for the good parts in everyone thought it saw a similar hue painting Hitsugaya's cheeks for a brief moment. More likely though, it was just her imagination.

"Ichimaru," Hitsugaya turned his attention to the other captain, "We need to go; Yamamoto has called another emergency meeting."

"_Another_ one? This invasion is keepin' everyone busy," the silver captain lamented, and then pecked his wife on the lips. "See ya later."

Rangiku gave her husband a parting smile as she nodded back, and the two captains left the room.

"You know he only gave you that excuse so you would agree to being escorted," Kira commented after the two prodigies had left.

"He's just being overprotective," Hinamori protested, a slight pink coloring her cheeks. "Tōshirō's always been cold towards most people, but once you get to know him, he's really caring."

Kira noticed Rangiku giving a slight roll of her eyes, but thankfully, she held her silence. He knew Hitsugaya was not one of her favorite people, but she rarely made an issue of it for her friends' sake.

"I think it's more accurate to say that he's caring towards _you_, Hinamori-kun," he corrected wryly.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" she frowned at him, not liking the knowing tone in his voice.

Rangiku let a slight smirk eerily similar to her husband's come to her face at Hinamori's defensive reply.

"It's always cold around the captain's office in the Tenth Division," Kira explained. "Cold enough that everyone there wears extra layers of clothing beneath our uniforms. But it is always noticeably warmer whenever you visit."

"You're just imagining things; it's never that cold when I come there, and I never feel it warm up."

"That's because he can feel your reiatsu before you arrive," Kira replied. "And the rest of us can tell when you're coming too, by the way the temperature rises. I bet if I borrowed a thermometer from Kurotsuchi-fukutaichō, that it would detect a difference of no less than five degrees Celsius between your presence and absence in the immediate vicinity of Hitsugaya-taichō."

"I bet you a week's worth of paperwork duties that you're wrong."

"Done," Kira immediately agreed, a slight smirk curving his lips.

* * *

"Ya know," Gin commented as he walked with Hitsugaya to the captains' meeting room, "one o' these days, ya gotta tell me what ya did to make Rangiku so scared o' ya."

"It's not deliberate," the white-haired captain replied in a manner neither defensive nor bothered. "It's irrational on her part; I have no reason to hurt her."

"An' as long as ya keep up that attitude, I'm fine. A lil' bit o' fear will be good fer Rangiku; it'll keep her on her toes, an' stop her from gettin' too lazy."

"I'm surprised you would take that view. I would have expected you to be more protective of her."

"I respect her 'nough that I let her fight her own battles; I only butt in when I think she's in over her head. This fear she's got o' ya is somethin' she needs to take care of on her own. If I get between her an' ya, then I won't be doin' her any good."

"An interesting philosophy," Hitsugaya noted.

"Ain't so interestin'," Gin argued. "After all, I ain't always gonna be able to protect her, so I gotta make sure she can do it herself."

Hitsugaya just let out an interested "Hmm."

"I think ya understand," the sly captain continued. "Since yer so protective o' Hinamori-chan an' all. Anyone with eyes can tell ya have a soft spot fer her."

Toshiro did not even look at him when he spoke. "Then how do you know?"

"Hey, I got eyes!"

"You couldn't tell by me."

"Wow, Hitsugaya-taichō's got a sense of humor after all! I gotta call Hisagi-kun so he can make that his big story in the next issue of _Seireitei Communications_!"

The smaller captain's response was to narrow his eyes at his annoying company.

"Seriously, though," Gin continued, "ya need to lighten up; I've noticed that ya don't like to be friendly with too many people."

"You are hardly a social butterfly yourself."

"Whatcha mean? I love talkin' to people."

"Yes, but very rarely will you actually let anyone in and actually get to know you. Most of your interactions are superficial and involve 'teasing' others."

Gin was quiet for a moment, and then let out what seemed to be a sheepish chuckle.

"Ya got me," the smiling man admitted, "I like talkin' to people, but I don't trust 'em easily."

"Not a bad opinion to hold," Hitsugaya said.

"Yeah, but ya can take it too far," Gin said. "Everyone should have at least one person they can trust with anythin'. Ya know what I mean?"

For a moment, Hitsugaya did not reply, but the silver man knew he saw a glimpse of thoughtfulness in his features, despite his face retaining its icy exterior.

"I believe I do," he finally answered.

* * *

**Author's Note:** As you may have noticed, Hitsugaya is different than he is in canon. This is one of the consequences of the changed timeline I mentioned in the previous chapter, where Rangiku is Gin's lieutenant instead of Tōshirō's. In other words, she did not meet Hitsugaya until the scene described above, long after he became a shinigami.

And before you form any lynch mobs for me breaking up the Hitsugaya-Matsumoto team, just know that I didn't like splitting them up any more than you did. But for purposes of plot, it had to happen. Still, I'm going to miss the sound of a youthful voice hollering, "_MATSUMOTO!_"

My thanks to **haeye** for being the first to post a review on this story, and thanks to the other readers who have left a signed review: **The10Espada99**, **Sora Nadeshiko**, and **ebo372**

* * *

**Omake: Shinigami Illustrated Guide (with permission from Ichimaru Rangiku)**

"So," Ichimaru said to Hitsugaya as they walked to the captains' meeting. "We've both established that we don't have many friends; why don't we work on improvin' our relationship?"

"That is unnecessary."

"C'mon, jus' a lil' friendship exercise, to get to know each other better; what are ya scared of the most?"

"You first," Hitsugaya countered. "What do _you_ fear?"

"The same thin' everyone else fears," the fox answered as they entered the meeting room. "Unohana's smile."

"What about my smile?"

"It's beautiful!"

"Thank you, Ichimaru-taichō."

It was a mystery as to how the woman maintained a tone of genuine gratitude for the compliment and yet still got the message across that she did not buy Ichimaru's cover-up. With that Unohana moved sedately past him to take her position in line.

"And to think that I believed your given name came from your hair color," Hitsugaya uttered quietly to the other prodigy, "when it's actually for your silver tongue."


	3. Murder in the Court

Rangiku, Kira, and Hinamori were all sitting by the unconscious Renji's side when a messenger arrived to inform them of the wartime special orders from Yamamoto.

"I'd better get back to my division," Rangiku said as soon as the messenger left. "And you two should as well."

"Yes," Kira agreed, and stood up.

Hinamori gave a guilty glance to Renji.

"He'll be fine," the blond assured her. "The Fourth's healers will keep a close eye on him."

The girl nodded and followed her friends out the door.

"Good luck, you two," Rangiku told them before they split up. "Don't run into any ryoka."

"Why didn't you insist on escorting Rangiku-san, too?" Hinamori asked as they went towards the Fifth Division.

"First of all, because Hitsugaya-taichō made your safety the priority," Kira started. "And second, the Third is not that far away; she'll be fine. And lastly, Rangiku-san is just as strong as Abarai-kun, and she's far less reckless to boot. She has better sense than to get in a fight she isn't sure she'll win."

"I still say that I can take care of myself," Hinamori pouted lightly.

"And Hitsugaya-taichō was not convinced by your arguments," Kira reminded her.

"That's because he's overprotective," she complained, and pointed an accusatory finger at him. "And so are you!"

"Staying by your side during a time of invasion is not overprotection," he rebutted calmly, despite the prosecuting digit being jabbed in his direction. "It is simply a precautionary measure."

He paused, and a smirk appeared on his face. "And consider yourself lucky that the ryoka are only powerful enough to defeat a lieutenant; if they get any stronger, Hitsugaya-taichō would probably never let you out of his sight."

"Hitsugaya-taichō is very protective of you, isn't he?"

Despite the warmth of the comment, both lieutenants jumped as Aizen announced his presence without warning behind them.

"Aizen-taichō, not you, too," Hinamori whined as she held her hand to her rapidly beating heart.

"Hinamori-kun?" he asked in mild confusion.

"First Kuchiki-taichō, then Ichimaru-taichō, and then Tōshirō, and now you!" she ranted. "Is it a requirement for captains to sneak up on poor little lieutenants and scare them out of their wits?"

"No, sorry I startled you two," he apologized, but did not quite succeed in holding back an amused smile. He looked at Kira, "So Hitsugaya-taichō ordered you to escort Hinamori-kun?"

"Correct," the younger man confirmed, and ignored his friend's mutterings of "overprotective" under her breath.

"Thank you for looking after her," Aizen said graciously to the dutiful friend. "And give my thanks to your captain as well, for thinking of Hinamori-kun's safety."

"I will," he replied.

"Since I'm sure you have other things to attend to, I will let you go now," the captain said with polite dismissal.

"If I might suggest, Aizen-taichō," Hinamori smirked mischievously, "I think Kira-kun should stay with us. After all, since the ryoka are capable of defeating lieutenants, it simply would _not_ be safe for anyone below captain-level to be out alone at night. And Tōshirō _did_ say that the escort was for Kira-kun's safety as well for mine."

Kira gave her a very flat look, wondering when exactly she had gained that impish streak of hers. On gut instinct, he put the blame on Ichimaru; _both_ of them.

Aizen smiled and agreed, "Good thinking, Hinamori-kun. Kira-kun, you should stay with us; we'll escort you back to the Tenth."

"Yes, sir," Kira relented, and sent another _look_ at the petite girl. She simply smiled back at him, sweetness and innocence etched into her face. The last time he had seen a look like that, he had been confronted by a Yachiru asking for candy.

"How is Abarai-kun's condition?" Aizen inquired as they walked through the corridors of the Seireitei.

"The healers say he'll be fine, now that he has medical attention," Kira answered, and gave up his silent chastisement of his Academy friend.

"It's a good thing Rangiku-san was there," Hinamori said. "She was able to get word to some people from the Fourth before Kuchiki-taichō came and told us not to."

"She disobeyed a captain?" Aizen cocked an eyebrow in curiosity, but not quite in judgment.

"It's not like that!" she rushed to explain. "Kuchiki-taichō just told us to take Abarai-kun to a holding cell, and Rangiku-san suggested the holding cells in the Fourth Division!"

"Besides, the official report will state that Ichimaru-_taichō_ was the one who requested the healers," Kira added calmly.

"I'm glad," Aizen said with approval. "Abarai-kun is a good officer, and I can't think of anyone who would be glad to see him die."

"Except Kuchiki-taichō," Hinamori grumbled.

"Hinamori-kun," Kira quietly reprimanded her.

"I'm sorry, but it's true!" she snapped back.

"You two are free to speak your mind when you're with me," Aizen permitted. "I assure you, Kuchiki-taichō will not hear your opinions of him from me."

"But still, even if we don't like Kuchiki-taichō's decisions, it's not our place to question them," the blond said cautiously.

"He was going to let Abarai-kun _die_!" Hinamori protested vehemently. "And I can understand _a little_ how Kuchiki-taichō might be miffed that his lieutenant lost a fight, as it would upset is oh-so-special pride, but why deny him healers? Why wasn't a holding cell enough for him?"

"It is possible that Kuchiki-taichō underestimated the extent of Abarai-kun's injuries," Aizen reasoned, and continued before Hinamori could voice her skepticism. "At the captain's meeting, Kuchiki-taichō made a motion for harsher punitive action against Abarai-kun. Don't worry, the motion failed, but I do not think that he would have done so if he believed his lieutenant would be dead in the morning."

"I guess so," she admitted, and then asked, "Were you one of the captains who opposed the motion?"

"Indeed," Aizen affirmed. "As I said before, Abarai-kun is a good man, and a great asset to the Gotei 13."

"Out of curiosity," Kira supplicated, "how did Ichimaru-taichō and Hitsugaya-taichō react to the motion?"

"Hitsugaya-taichō abstained, stating that the affairs of other divisions were not his concern," the captain answered.

"He said that right after he made Kira-kun be my escort?" Hinamori asked incredulously, and then growled, "_Ooh_, that hypocrite! When I see him again, I'm going to have _words!_"

Aizen just smiled in amusement at his lieutenant as she muttered darkly under her breath, and continued to answer Kira's question. "Ichimaru-taichō was also one who opposed Kuchiki-taichō's proposal, but he did not really elucidate on his reasons. Why do you ask?"

"Ichimaru-taichō was the one who offered to cover Rangiku-san's actions as his own," the lieutenant of the Tenth explained. "And I was wondering…"

He paused in his question, and tried to find the proper way to put his inquiry into words.

"How far his charity went," Aizen finished after he had noticed Kira's hesitance. "I can understand your curiosity; Ichimaru-taichō is an unpredictable man."

Both lieutenants chuckled nervously and nodded in agreement. "Unpredictable" was probably the kindest and most charitable description of the fox's personality.

"How has the Tenth faired during the invasion?" Aizen asked Kira.

"We haven't lost as many as the Eleventh," the blond man answered. "And fortunately, we haven't had any deaths yet."

"Same here," Hinamori said. "It's like the ryoka don't want to kill anyone. I wonder why."

"I don't know," Kira shrugged. "But it doesn't matter; they are still the enemy, and they have attacked us. Therefore we need to eliminate them."

"I guess," his colleague frowned. "Still, I don't like it."

"Neither do I," the solemn lieutenant agreed. "But war is something you _shouldn't_ like. It encourages us to end fights as quickly as possible, and to make us hesitate from starting a battle in the first place."

"Who told you that?" Hinamori asked.

"Ichimaru-taichō, although not in so many words," he explained. "I may be the lieutenant of the Tenth Division, but I learned how to fight in the Third."

"Here's the main office," Aizen noted.

"Thank you for taking care of us," the younger man bowed.

"It's no trouble," the captain replied. "Have a good night."

"Good night," Kira returned, and entered the building.

"I'll walk you back to your quarters," Aizen said to his lieutenant after Kira was gone. "I don't think Hitsugaya-taichō would ever forgive me if I let you go by yourself during the invasion."

"Only if it's not inconvenient for you," Hinamori responded quickly.

"It isn't," he reassured her. "After all, one of the duties of a captain is to ensure the well-being of his subordinates."

Hinamori beamed at her captain, and chirped a "Thank you." One of the things she loved most about Captain Aizen was his concern about those who served under him. Especially with Captain Kuchiki's apathy towards Renji fresh in her mind, her own captain's warm actions and kind words shined even brighter to her.

As they walked back to the barracks, the two senior officers of the Fifth Division spent time on idle chatter and updates on the Fifth Division's condition since the invasion had started.

They arrived at Hinamori's door, and Aizen smiled, "Good night, Hinamori-kun," as he slid the door open.

"Good night, Aizen-taichō," she said back to him warmly.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he told her, and walked away.

"You, too," she replied, shutting the door. The repeated anxieties of this day encouraged Hinamori to seek out her futon quickly, where she soon fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

* * *

Hinamori reluctantly stirred from her slumber as her clock's chime roused her. She gave a generous stretch and looked at the time. Still an hour before she had to leave for the lieutenant's meeting later that morning. Reluctantly, she extracted herself from the comforting warmth of her blanket, and got ready for the new day.

After she got dressed and prepared, Hinamori did not really have much on her mind as she calmly walked to the meeting. She was near her destination when she heard something that reminded her of a leaky faucet dripping water into a tub. Irrepressible curiosity made her detour to investigate the unknown sound.

The girl stopped in place when she saw a puddle of blood on the floorboards. Her eyes slowly trailed upwards to discover the source of the crimson fluid.

And when she saw the reason for the sanguine stains, Hinamori screamed.

* * *

A wail of anguish brought the lieutenants out of the meeting room and towards the cry's source. The first on the scene found Hinamori looking upward with a face that matched the pain of her shriek. As they set their eyes on what she saw, they too understood her reaction.

There was no need to ask what had brought her to this state. For there, impaled on his own sword high on the wall, hung the corpse of Captain Aizen Sōsuke.

"Aizen-taichō…" Hinamori said softly, walking stiffly forward a few steps, "No…"

She took two more unstable steps forward before she fell to her knees and screamed, "AIZEN-TAICHŌ!"

"What's going on?"

The dumbstruck lieutenants turned around to see Captain Hitsugaya approaching, appearing as cold as ever. Upon setting sights on Aizen's corpse, he simply raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh."

Hinamori turned around slowly, and looked at the newly arrived taichō. Her mind was in shambles, completely lost from the shock of her captain's death. With all coherent thought in disarray, the girl acted on gut instinct and emotional impulse.

She launched herself at Hitsugaya. The captain only had a moment to react before she wrapped her arms around his chest, and broke down sobbing. The other lieutenants stared as the glacier of a shinigami stood awkwardly for a moment. Then he relaxed and gently put an arm around the crying girl.

"Kira, call for the Fourth Division to get Aizen's body down from there," Hitsugaya ordered. "I'll take care of Hinamori."

"Yes, sir," the blond lieutenant replied, and the white-haired captain walked away, half-carrying his old friend.

"I don't know what I find more incredible," Hisagi said after they were out of earshot. "The fact that she chose _him_ as a shoulder to cry on, or the fact that he _let_ her cry on his shoulder."

"I don't know what she sees in him," Rangiku shuddered. "The kid scares me."

"That 'kid' is a prodigy and a captain," Kira interjected tersely as he prepared a hell butterfly. "Of course he should scare you."

"I know, but he doesn't scare me like the other captains do," she replied. "There's something about him that just makes me want to spend the rest of my days hiding in a desert."

"I would've thought that you'd be used to scary captains, considering who you married," Iba remarked.

"Hey, Gin's not that bad once you get to know him!"

"While Ichimaru-taichō's creepy, I don't think he's as bad as Hitsugaya," Hisagi agreed. "At least with Ichimaru-taichō, we know he has a heart to go along with that creepiness."

"Please keep in mind that this is _my_ captain we're talking about," Kira warned as he let the message flutter away to the Fourth Division. "And shouldn't you be sending hell butterflies to your own captains?"

* * *

Tōshirō quickly took Hinamori back to her quarters with a few strides of his shunpo. After their arrival, he softly sat her down on her bed. He was about to let go when she clutched the front of his robes tighter.

"I'm just going to get you some water," he stated. "I'll be right back."

The only response he got was an even tighter grip on his attire.

Tōshirō sighed softly as he realized that she was not letting go anytime soon. He sat down next to her and resumed holding her. He held on for a few minutes, and simply let the grieving waif have time to expend her emotions before he spoke again.

"Hinamori."

His gentle call received no answer.

"Hinamori."

This time the voice was sterner, but yet still without the usual chill present in his words. And like the first time he spoke her name, there was no response.

"_Hinamori_."

It was the definite and absolute tone of command that finally snapped the girl out of her trance and brought her to attention.

"Shiro-chan, Aizen-taichō's dead," she said. Her voice cracked at the last word.

"I know," he replied, "And I know how much you cared about him, but you must get ahold of yourself."

"How can I control myself when he's never going to be there for me again," she sobbed.

"Because you are a lieutenant of the Gotei 13, Hinamori. You have responsibilities to your division, doubly so now with Aizen gone. How do you think he would want you to act if something happened to him? Would he prefer you to weep uncontrollably, or would he rather that you take charge and make sure the rest of the people under your command continued performing their duties?"

She looked at his face. The tears still stained her blotched cheeks, but new trails were no longer being blazed as she saw the hidden message in her old friend's eyes.

_I am still here for you_.

Hinamori sniffed and wiped her face with the back of her hand.

"Thank you, Shiro-chan," she rasped, as her throat was still sore from her crying session.

She gave him a parting squeeze around his chest and then released her hold on him. As she got up to fix herself up in the mirror, Tōshirō took the opportunity to get that glass of water for her.

"How do I look?" Hinamori asked as Tōshirō came back. She sounded better, though still a little hoarse.

"Good," he answered simply, and handed her the cup.

Hinamori quietly drank the water, and then headed for the door. Before she left, she gave her old friend another hug.

"Don't worry," said Tōshirō as he calmly returned the embrace. "We will find out what happened to Aizen; there will be time for mourning later."

"I know," she replied, her voice stable once more. "Thank you again, Shiro-chan."

"Hitsugaya-taichō," came the automatic correction, but without any real force behind it, and then said, "I'll escort you to the Fifth Division."

Despite her mournful mood, Hinamori could not help but let out a quick laugh as she remembered Kira's warning from the previous night.

At Tōshirō's questioning eyebrow, she explained, "I guess Kira-kun isn't a good enough bodyguard for you anymore."

"I just want to make sure you don't break down in the middle of the street."

"Don't be so mean!" she scolded, but on the inside she was smiling. Even though she was lost without Aizen, Hinamori knew she could find her way again as long as she had Tōshirō to help her.

* * *

"Ya heard the news?"

Kyōraku and Nanao turned around and saw Ichimaru Gin approaching them, his smile in its usual place.

"The news about Aizen-taichō's being killed?" Kyōraku said. "Yeah, we heard."

"Crazy, huh?"

"Do you have any idea on who did it?" Nanao asked.

"Nope," Ichimaru answered. "What 'bout ya?"

"The obvious answer would be the ryoka," Kyōraku said. "But I'm not sure that's right. I just fought one of them, and he didn't have near enough strength to take on a captain. Even if he did, he wasn't the type who'd pin Aizen-taichō to the wall."

"An' any fight between two captain-level people would be felt from here to the Rukongai," Ichimaru agreed. "So that means Aizen never got to see whoever killed him."

"What do you mean?" Nanao asked.

"Think 'bout it," Ichimaru explained, "Aizen's killer had to be strong 'nough to pierce his reiatsu, and covert 'nough to do it without a fight. That means it was a sneak attack. An' lemme ask ya this: who do we know that is both captain-level an' skilled in assassination?"

"You don't mean Soifon-?" the lieutenant of the Eighth gasped.

"If she were ordered to do it by Yama-jii or the Central Forty-Six, yeah, she would," Kyōraku admitted. "But why would they? His record's spotless."

"Maybe he poked his nose somewhere the Central Forty-Six didn't like, I dunno," Ichimaru suggested. "There's a lot 'bout this that smells fishy."

"Do you think it's a coincidence that all this is going on because of Kuchiki Rukia?" Nanao asked. "After all, the ryoka Kyōraku-taichō fought said that their objective was to rescue her."

"That so?" Ichimaru said interestedly, "Ya think Aizen-taichō didn't like the verdict, an' decided to be a bit too pushy in voicing his opinion to the Central Forty-Six?"

"If he protested too much, they could have ordered him dead. But since he was a respected captain, they had him killed secretly and let the ryoka take the blame," she affirmed. "But why would Aizen-taichō take such an interest in saving Kuchiki Rukia? I had always heard that he had strong ethics, but did he think it was really worth risking his career, and his life, for this case?"

"Who knows?" Ichimaru shrugged. "But I think yer right 'bout one thing: it ain't a coincidence that all this hubbub is happenin' after Rukia-chan was ordered to be executed."

Nanao gave him a considering look.

"You know, Ichimaru-taichō, Soifon-taichō is not the only captain with the strength and speed to assassinate someone with Aizen-taichō's power," she informed him.

"Oh? Ya got someone special in mind?" he teased and crossed his arms, his hands hidden inside his sleeves.

"I do," she replied flatly.

"Mind tellin' me who yer thinkin' 'bout?" The smile did not shift. As always, it masked the man's thoughts from the younger woman.

"I'm sure you can guess," she said in an even tone. "After all, this person once told me that he once considered joining the Second Division."

"Now that's very interestin', but it ain't 'nough to convict someone o' murder." He paused for a moment, and then corrected himself, "Actually, it might be 'nough for the Forty-Six, now that I think 'bout it. But a smart gal like ya knows better. Fer example, ya need to figure out the motive: why would this guy yer thinkin' of wanna kill Aizen-taichō?"

"This same person also mentioned to me that Aizen-taichō was not exactly as he appeared."

"Yeah, an' so's Shunsui," Ichimaru rebutted. "As a matter o' fact, nobody in the Seireitei ain't what they appear to be."

"Indeed," Nanao concurred. "However, suppose this individual I'm thinking of discovered that Aizen-taichō harmed or threatened to harm someone close to him. It would not be uncharacteristic of this person to exact vengeance without consulting official channels."

"Ooh, a revenge story, this is gettin' good," he exclaimed with a tone that sounded like enthusiasm. "But do ya have any proof that Aizen-taichō did any sort o' threatenin' that would lead to this person wantin' to kill him?"

"I do not," she admitted calmly. "I am simply stating that the list of suspects cannot be limited to Soifon-taichō."

"Very true," her verbal sparring partner agreed. "Fer example…"

Ichimaru leaned over so he was eye level with the brunette, and his face was within inches of hers. Nanao kept her expression sangfroid; while she was one of the few people brave enough to call herself a friend of Ichimaru Gin, she still got the shivers when he was on Creepy Mode. She had known this man since she was a girl, but that was part of the problem: she _knew_ he had the capabilities to pull off a secret assassination (even if he had a point in saying there was a lack of motive present).

"What 'bout the guy who actually _trained_ this person yer thinkin' of?"

Nanao went from suspicious to furious in one second flat.

"How _dare_ you suggest that Kyō-!"

Ichimaru boldly cut off her words by pressing a long, thin finger to her lips. It took every ounce of Nanao's self-preservation not to slap his hand away.

"Careful," the snake smirked. "If ya say such things so loudly, the _wrong_ people might get the _wrong_ ideas."

With that "warning" said, Ichimaru removed his digit from her mouth.

"I don't think we should be pointing fingers at each other," Kyōraku chuckled, intervening between his former and current vice-captains before anything else could be said, "Especially with the invasion going on. After we capture the ryoka, we can ask them what they know. In the meantime, let's get along, okay?"

Nanao nodded curtly, and Ichimaru gave a single, lighter nod of his own.

"Now, if y'all will excuse me, there's someone I need to visit," the fox said.

"See you later, Gin," Kyōraku waved.

After the other captain had left, Kyōraku turned to his lieutenant and asked, "Nanao-chan, why are you so suspicious of him?"

"I'm sorry, Kyōraku-taichō, but Aizen-taichō's death makes no sense," she apologized. "It's a puzzle with too many pieces missing, and it's irritating."

"And so you take it out on your old lieutenant? Kind of harsh, don't you think?"

She was silent.

"Do you _really_ think that Gin had something to do with Aizen's death?"

Finally, Nanao let out a sigh.

"No," she conceded. "You're right, he didn't deserve my accusations; I'll apologize to him later."

"Good," Kyōraku smiled. "I don't like it when my friends fight."

* * *

"Ichimaru."

Gin turned to his caller in concealed surprise.

"Hitsugaya-taichō," he greeted cheerfully. "Whatcha need? It ain't often ya come to talk to me."

While the younger captain always had the facial composure of an ice statue, his eyes were on Extra Frosty as he approached.

"You know Aizen was murdered," Hitsugaya stated.

"Yep," Gin confirmed.

"Then you should also know that Hinamori nearly had a nervous breakdown after finding Aizen's body," the younger prodigy continued.

"Really?" the fox's smile dropped just a little. "I'll make sure Rangiku an' I visit her when we got the time."

"I'm sure she'll appreciate that," Hitsugaya said. "But what I came to tell you was this: if I find that you are the one responsible for hurting Hinamori, _I will kill you_."

"Ooh, what brought this on?" Gin asked, the corners of his mouth lifting up again. This was the second time in so many hours someone had accused him of killing Aizen, and this time it wasn't as subtle. Despite the ugly eyes he was getting from multiple sources, Gin was not too worried about being a genuine suspect. If the Gotei 13 truly considered him a candidate as Aizen's murderer, he would have already been arrested by the Onmitsukidō and put behind bars. He was interested in hearing what Hitsugaya's reasons were.

"I've seen the way you interact with Aizen," the white-haired teenager explained. "You never trusted him like the other captains did. I wonder if you decided to eliminate someone you considered a potential threat without authorization, and then allow the ryoka to take the blame."

"'Tween the two o' us, I think yer the one who's more suspicious of his fellow captains," Gin pointed out.

"Perhaps. Perhaps not," Hitsugaya admitted. "Either way, I will be keeping my eye on you, Ichimaru."

Adamant on letting that sentence be the last word of their conversation, the Tenth's commanding officer disappeared in a buzz of shunpo.

The vulpine captain shook his head. Really, the way Hitsugaya and Nanao were putting it, they made it sound like he had some sort of grudge against Aizen. Well, whatever reasons they had, it didn't really matter; Gin was far more interested in what Zaraki Kenpachi had to say.

* * *

"Members of the Fifth Division," Hinamori announced to the patrol leaders gathered in their division's meeting hall, "As you most likely heard, Aizen-taichō has been murdered."

It took every ounce of her willpower to keep from breaking down in tears as she had earlier. Even though she managed to keep a stable state of mind, her eyes could not stop from filling up.

Hinamori was not the only one affected by the death of their captain. She could see the saddened and angry expressions on the faces of her subordinates; Captain Aizen had treated them all well. Of all the people who had to be killed during the invasion, why did it have to be a good man like him?

"I know that you are all feeling the loss," Hinamori continued. "But I also know that he would want us to continue performing our duties to the best of our abilities. And don't worry; we _will_ find out who killed Aizen-taichō."

"Was it one of the ryoka?" the Sixth seat asked, her tone belligerent.

Hinamori wanted to say "yes" immediately, but her time with Tōshirō had cleared her head, and she had done some thinking. While it was confirmed that one of the ryoka was indeed powerful enough to tackle with Zaraki Kenpachi, the fight had been loud enough to be detected by almost everyone in the Seireitei. And then there was the fact that Captain Aizen was one of the most powerful individuals in the Gotei 13, rivaling even Yamamoto in strength. Such a fight would _not_ have gone unnoticed.

But on the other hand, who else could have done it?

"No one saw what happened, but that is most likely the case," Hinamori answered. "That's why our orders are now to capture the ryoka alive, if possible, for questioning."

There was general grumbling from the crowd, and she could not blame them. She was more than tempted herself to just "accidentally" kill the ryoka to avenge Aizen-taichō. But she knew he would not approve of that; he would have wanted her to get all the information first, and then make sure that the punishment was dealt accordingly.

"I understand your feelings," Hinamori said out loud, "but if you do come across the ryoka, call for backup immediately. If they're strong enough to kill Aizen-taichō, then they'll be able to kill us without effort."

This time grudging acceptance was more solid at her orders.

"Are there any other questions?" the lieutenant inquired. After a moment of silence, she declared, "Good luck; dismissed."

* * *

"Yare, yare," Gin commented as he approached the supine form of Kenpachi on his futon in the Eleventh Division barracks. "Ya look like you've had some fun."

Kenpachi chuckled quietly, too wounded to provide more of a reaction. Unohana had treated his injuries, but she had firmly recommended in her own special way that he take it easy for the rest of the day.

"Yeah, I did, but I lost," he replied.

"Ya lost? Wow, these ryoka are gettin' stronger an' stronger. Which one did ya fight?"

"The strongest one. His name's Kurosaki Ichigo."

Ichimaru leaned up against the wall reflectively and crossed his arms. "That the same guy who beat Ikkaku an' Abarai-kun?"

"Yep."

"Ken-chan didn't lose! It was a two-on-one fight, so it wasn't fair! I tried telling Ken-chan that, but he's not listening," Yachiru piped up defense of her father-figure.

"Yachiru, Kurosaki was right," Kenpachi corrected. "If I want to get stronger, I need to know my sword's name. I already tried asking it, but it didn't give me an answer. Has it been too long?"

"Ya really think it'll answer ya on yer first try?" Ichimaru asked.

The nameless warrior shrugged, and continued, "I'll probably ask again."

"Well, best o' luck to ya," his smiling associate said. "So, ya gonna find this Kurosaki an' demand a rematch?"

"You bet; tomorrow, after I finish resting up," Kenpachi grinned.

"Don't take too long; remember, he's only gonna be here a short while."

"Oh, yeah, Ikakku said he came here to rescue Kuchiki's little sister."

"I heard the same thing myself," the fox agreed with a tone more thoughtful than normal.

"I forgot you had a soft spot for that girl."

"Yeah, I think I would've adopted her if Kuchiki-taichō hadn't met her first," Gin replied. "She's so fun to tease."

"What, you're going to rescue her, too?"

"Haven't decided yet. How 'bout ya?"

"Didn't I just say I wanted to fight Kurosaki again?"

"Yeah, so?"

Kenpachi chuckled, and started to rise, "Yeah, I guess I owe the ryoka one for giving me a good time."

"Unohana told ya to stay in bed fer the rest of the day, didn't she?"

Zaraki paused. There was no trace of fear in his expression. All the same, he slowly sank back down until he was lying on the bed.

"Tomorrow," he affirmed, and closed his eyes.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I tried to write these chapters in the spirit of the original Soul Society Arc. Specifically, I wanted to remind the audience that at the time, we had no idea that Aizen was an evil mastermind, and that he had been a benevolent and admired figure to everyone in Soul Society until the revelation of his betrayal.

I would like to give my thanks to **haeye** and guests for reviewing the last chapter.

* * *

**Omake: Illustrated Shinigami Guide**

Kyōraku was jolted awake as he felt someone snitch his hat and prized pink kimono off his formerly slumbering form. He frowned as he recognized the retreating reiatsu. Ever since he had chosen Gin has his lieutenant, the boy had been thinking of increasingly creative and/or daring methods to put the captain to work.

Seeing little choice in the matter, the Eighth's commanding officer flash-stepped to his office. Once there, he cocked an amused eyebrow at the sight which greeted him.

Gin was sitting at the captain's desk, and he was audaciously wearing both the hat on his head and the kimono on his shoulders.

"Pink doesn't suit you, Gin," Kyōraku informed his second-in-command.

The kit shrugged and removed the stolen items from his person. He got up from the desk and tossed them into his captain's arms.

"All yers," he said, and sat at his own desk to work.

Kyōraku shook his head as he reluctantly began to tackle the paperwork. He was sure of one thing: he had never had a lieutenant like Ichimaru Gin before.


	4. Want Me to Save You?

Kira walked just behind his captain as they both approached to where the Sōkyoku perched in his sealed form.

The blond lieutenant honestly did not like that Kuchiki Rukia was going to be executed. It was bad enough that the Central Forty-Six had ordered her death, but wasn't the Sōkyoku a bit of an overkill? The massive blade was intended for villains so evil or criminals so strong that they required the power of the Sōkyoku to be executed, and thus remove the risk of reincarnation. How could giving powers to a human qualify this unseated officer of noble blood for oblivion?

But there was nothing he could do about it; orders were orders. They may not always be fair, Kira would be the first to admit, but that was the harsh reality they lived in.

The lieutenant was shaken from his brooding as he and Hitsugaya joined the line of captains who were present for the execution ceremony. Idly, Kira noted that there were not that many attendees. The absence of representatives from the Twelfth and Eleventh was no surprise, and he suspected that Hinamori could not come due to the extra workload forced upon her by Aizen's death. Captains and their adjutants from the First, Second, and Eighth Divisions were here, as was Isane from the Fourth, but Unohana had yet to arrive. More surprising was the absence of representatives from the Seventh and Ninth Divisions; perhaps they deemed the ryoka hunt dire enough that they excused themselves from the ceremony. He wondered why no one from the Thirteenth was present yet; perhaps Ukitake did not have the heart to witness the death of his subordinate, or maybe his sickness had reared its ugly head again. It was anyone's guess as to whether Kuchiki would bother showing up for his sister's execution.

Speaking of which, it was almost noon, so the condemned girl should be arriving shortly.

* * *

Rukia desperately attempted to identify where Renji's reiatsu was emanating from, wishing and hoping that her senses might be wrong, and that her oldest friend was not on the precipice of death. She barely registered her escort turning towards her, obviously about to encourage her to start walking again, when they seemed to pause.

While she was reluctant to cease her search, the approaching footsteps ensnared Rukia's curiosity, and she turned towards the source.

"Mornin'."

She recognized the speaker and gave a quiet gulp.

"How are ya, Rukia-chan?"

Her vision locked with apprehension onto the approaching figure wearing a captain's haori and a serpentine smile.

"Ichimaru… Gin," she uttered.

And he wasn't alone. Standing directly to his right was his lieutenant, Ichimaru Rangiku. Rukia relaxed slightly; while the snake's visits were always nerve-wracking, they were more bearable whenever his wife was also present.

Upon hearing her nervous response to his casual greeting, the man's grin widened in amusement.

"My, my, such familiarity," he noted. "Do ya really think that we're close 'nough to use my name like that, Rukia-chan?"

Rukia did not know what game the captain was playing, so she decided to stick to formality. She was still a Kuchiki, even if she was going to be executed, and so she would maintain her dignity even in the face of this menace.

"I apologize for my rudeness, Ichimaru-taichō," she said, and then turned to the other woman and greeted her, "Hello, Ichimaru-fukutaichō."

"Rukia-san," she replied, and smiled amiably at her. "You can call me Rangiku-san, you know."

"Yeah, we don't care 'bout formalities here," Ichimaru gave a brief chuckle. "I was jus' teasin' ya."

"If I may ask, why are you here?" the condemned noble asked politely for Rangiku's sake. While Rukia was not particularly close to her, the warm woman was a buffer zone between her and Ichimaru.

"I just wanted to ask ya a question," he replied. "Ya know, before ya get annihilated by the Sōkyoku."

Rukia ignored the remark and inquired, "What is it that you wish to ask?"

"Do ya wanna live?"

The prisoner blinked at the unexpected question, and noticed on her peripheral vision that her guards were shifting uneasily. No doubt unfortunate implications were going through their minds, but they obviously did not know the captain well enough that he would never do something foolish like rescue her. However, that still left the intention behind the question a mystery, so all she could say was, "What?"

"Do ya wanna live?" he repeated patiently.

Rukia paused to choose her next words carefully. "I have accepted my fate."

"That ain't an answer, Rukia-chan. Ya got all these people tryin' to save ya, and here ya are walkin' all nice an' quiet to yer death. What do ya think will happen to yer ryoka friends if ya die?"

"They'll leave. They won't have any more reason to stay."

He actually bared more teeth at her response, and any friendliness that might have been in those upturned lips disappeared. "Do ya _really_ think that after all that hard work they put into tryin' to rescue ya, they'd jus' throw up their hands an' go home?"

"What else could they do?"

"Did ya know, Rukia-chan," Ichimaru informed her casually, "that Aizen-taichō's the only person who's been killed since the invasion started?"

The prisoner shook her head. She had not heard much news from within her cell. She had garnered that a captain had been killed in action, but she did not know he was the only fatality of this futile mission to rescue her. Until Renji, she reminded herself despondently.

"If ya die, it's quite likely that yer friends may decide to exact an eye fer an eye," the silver snake continued on, and his grin seemed to widen at the sight of Rukia's paling face as she realized his train of thought. "I wonder how many shinigami the ryoka would kill before the captains would go in an' put an end to 'em?"

"They wouldn't," Rukia protested quietly, but fear still crept into her voice. "They're not killers."

"Are ya sure 'bout that?"

Rukia paused, and for the first time, thought about how her friends would react to her death. She knew that Ichigo was too thick-skulled to realize that she was not worth saving, and so he had placed her under his protection. If she were to die… well, Rukia vividly remembered that look of raw, primal hatred Ichigo had for his mother's murderer. If he felt even a fraction that rage upon learning of his friend's execution, then nothing but his death would stop him from taking revenge on those responsible.

"Uh-huh," Ichimaru nodded at her silence. "An' ya know that no matter how many shinigami they kill, yer friends will face a captain they won't be able to beat. Right now, our orders are to capture instead o' kill, 'cause of investigatin' Aizen-taichō's death, but that might change if yer friends decide to go on a vengeance spree. So really, this 'noble' self-sacrifice attitude ya got goin' is quite useless. If _you_ die, then _they'll_ die."

"I'll ask Yamamoto for a pardon," Rukia said quickly. "He'll have to honor the last request of a Kuchiki."

"After all yer friends have done to his precious Gotei 13, do ya _really_ think that he'll jus' let 'em go?" Ichimaru asked.

Horror strangled Rukia's body. Several seconds of clear, uninterrupted thought no longer hindered by remorse crept by. And when it was over, to her abiding disbelief, she realized that he was right; any effort to save her friends by sacrificing her life would be in vain.

"What else can I do?" she whispered out loud.

"Ya can live."

"What?"

"Like I said, ya got all these people wantin' to save ya. An' from what I've heard, a lotta people in Soul Society have been helpin' 'em. The gate guardian, the Shiba, that twitchy lil' officer from the Fourth, Abarai-kun, an' now even Kenpachi an' his gang are joinin' in."

Rukia was still reeling from the fact that the Shiba clan had aided in the rescue mission. True, she had seen Ganju, but he obviously had not known that he was helping to save the killer of his older brother. But at least one of the Shiba had to have known the identity of the person they were helping to rescue. Why would the entire clan help the person who had murdered Kaien? Wouldn't they be the first in line to see her executed?

But those thoughts immediately flew out the window in the shock at the revelation that_ Zaraki Kenpachi_ had joined the rescue mission. And she reacted like any other person would: with a drop of her jaw and an exclamation of, _"What?"_

"Don't ya feel it?"

She closed her mouth and concentrated senses on her surroundings. Then she did feel the formidable power of Zaraki facing off with not just one but _two_ other captains. What in the name of all spirits in existence had convinced the battle-hungry warrior to help rescue her?

"Kenpachi told me that one of the ryoka beat him in a fight," Ichimaru explained, detecting her unspoken question. "Kurosaki Ichigo, I think his name was."

Rukia gasped and her eyes widened. Did Ichigo really defeat Captain Zaraki? When did he get so strong?

"Knowin' Kenpachi, that makes Kurosaki his new favorite person, so he'll be helpin' to save ya as his way o' sayin' thanks," he continued, looking as if he was thoroughly enjoying Rukia's flabbergasted expression. "An' as everyone knows, where Kenpachi goes, Yachiru, Ikkaku, an' Yumichika follow.

"A full-fledged revolt has been started fer the sake o' yer life, Rukia-chan."

The petite girl was speechless for several moments. Then she finally whispered, "Why?"

"If ya wanna know that, you'll need to ask Kurosaki. My guess is that it was his idea in the first place to rescue ya."

Of course it was, the stupid fool.

"Must be a really great guy to come here an' save ya. Might be why everyone's up an' joinin' him."

Rukia did not trust herself to speak her agreement with Ichimaru's assessment of her friend.

"So, now that ya know all that, do ya wanna live?" he returned to his earlier question.

"Why is so important for you to know?" Rukia asked with more irritation in her voice than she probably should have included.

"Why don'tcha answer the question an' find out fer yerself?"

"Oh, Gin, stop playing around," Rangiku finally burst out in exasperation, and then looked at the prisoner and demanded, "Do you want us to save you or not?"

"_What?!_" This time the question came not only from Rukia, but her guards as well. Their prior uneasiness was now outright alarm.

"Why'd ya have to rush?" Ichimaru asked petulantly.

"Because the other captains are bound to notice that their little prisoner is late for her execution, and so we need to be out of here before they realize what we're up to!"

"Rukia-chan hasn't said 'yes' yet."

"Oh, for the love of…!"

Four quick executions of shunpo later, Rukia's escort was on the ground unconscious.

"There, we've made the decision for her," Rangiku declared. "We're saving her whether she likes it or not!"

"What?!" the girl in question squawked incredulously at the way the woman's line echoed Ichigo's from a couple days prior. That and "why" were all she seemed capable of saying at this point.

Ichimaru shrugged, and stalked forward. Rukia flinched, and whatever protests she had vanished from her mind. The serpentine powerhouse now sported a particularly vicious smile on his face, and the girl wondered if she had been taken out of the frying pan and placed into the fire.

"Gin, no," Rangiku said sternly.

"Oh?" he replied playfully, but notably he stopped. "Are ya sure ya should be talkin' like that to yer captain?"

"First of all, I'm your wife, and I'll talk to you however I want to," Rangiku started, her serious tone contrasting with his jovial one. "Second, now that we're rescuing Rukia, we're not part of the Gotei 13 anymore, so you're not a captain. And third, I know what you're thinking, and I still say 'no': we are letting them live."

Rukia glanced at the men on the ground and realized with a start that he had intended to silence them _permanently_.

"When they wake up, the other captains'll know that we were the ones who rescued Rukia-chan," Ichimaru argued. "We kill 'em now, all they'll know is that someone rescued her, an' they'll probably blame the ryoka. It'll keep 'em guessin', make it easier fer us to sneak Rukia-chan out."

"Perhaps," Rangiku admitted, apparently agreeing with the logic, but not the ethics, of his plan of action. "But I don't think it's worth killing them over."

He looked at his wife with a neutral smile on his face.

"Please, Ichimaru-taichō," Rukia interjected cautiously. "I don't want anyone else to die because of me."

While his head did not move, and she could not see his eyes, Rukia felt Ichimaru's gaze turn to her. She gulped, but held her ground.

Finally, the man let out a single laugh. "How can I argue with my two favorite women? 'Kay, we'll do it yer way this time," he said as he gave a relenting shrug. "Next, let's get that collar off Rukia-chan and pick up Abarai-kun."

"What? But he's dead! I felt his reiatsu disappear!" Rukia protested, afraid to hope.

"He's not dead yet," Rangiku assured her as she knelt down to work on removing the reiatsu-sealing collar.

"Yeah, he's just restin'; look," the fox affirmed with an odd accent, which earned a very dirty look from his wife. As if to deliberately earn her ire further, he continued, "Remarkable bird, the Rukongai Red, eh? Beautiful plumage!"

While Rangiku scolded her husband about inappropriately timed references to popular mortal culture, Rukia focused her senses to where she had last felt Renji's reiatsu. She realized with surprised joy that while her old friend's reiatsu was weak, it was still present. Relieved that Renji was still alive, she turned back to her unexpected rescuers and asked the question that was on the forefront of her thoughts. "Why?"

What did they have to gain by helping her? They had no motive for saving her or her friends. Then again, two minutes ago she would have said the same of Zaraki.

"Last I checked, no one with Bankai was ever easy to kill," Ichimaru answered.

"Not that," Rukia shook her head with slight annoyance. "I mean, why are you helping me?"

Rangiku glanced up at her husband, and decided to let him explain. He looked thoughtful, as if pondering how to put his reasons into words.

* * *

"_Hey, Rangiku."_

_The lieutenant of the Third Division looked up from her paperwork to see that her captain had returned to the office. Normally, she would be out on patrol looking for the ryoka, but there were some forms that demanded her immediate attention. She planned to finish only the few most necessary ones before going back out on field duty._

"_How goes the hunt for the ryoka?" she asked as she returned to her forms and continued to fill out the appropriate spaces._

"_Haven't found 'em," he replied easily, and then veered off onto another topic. "I've been thinkin' 'bout somethin', an' I wanna ask ya 'bout it."_

"_What?"_

"_Do ya really think Rukia-chan deserves to die?"_

_Rangiku froze, her pen hovering over the line that had yet to gain her signature. While she hated paperwork, the implication of Gin's question was not her preferred way out of it._

"_You're thinking about helping the ryoka rescue her, aren't you?"_

"_Since it looks like ya already know the answer to yer question, how 'bout answerin' mine?"_

_She sighed, deciding to humor him for the moment. It was not as if he were suggesting anything illegal… yet._

"_No, I don't think Kuchiki Rukia deserves to die."_

"_Was that so hard to say?"_

_Okay, she was done with the humoring; it was time to get straight to the point._

"_Gin, this is not the kind of mischief that'll get you a spanking from Yamamoto," she scolded, "If you do anything to save Rukia, he'll kill you."_

"_He'll have to find us first."_

"_Us?" she asked flatly with a raised eyebrow._

"_What, did ya really think I'd do this adventure without ya? If I rescued Rukia-chan all by myself, then I'd have to leave ya… ferever. An' while I do wanna save Rukia-chan, nothing's worth bein' separated from ya ferever. I promised that I would never leave ya, Rangiku. I'd really love yer help, but if yer dead set against it, we'll stay."_

_She sighed._

"_Why are you so interested in saving her, anyway?"_

"_Besides the fact that I like teasin' her, an' I don't like sad endings? I actually think this rescue can work."_

"_What makes you think that?"_

"_This ain't the first time Soul Society has been attacked, we all know that. This ain't even the first time someone's broken into the Sereitei to save a prisoner. What's different about this invasion is the fact that outsiders are comin' in to save a shinigami, an' some o' the higher officers are joinin' as well. An' that's only after a few days of bargin' in here._

"_An' I don't know 'bout ya, but I kinda like the idea of bein' one o' the few people to successfully rescue a prisoner from the Gotei 13."_

_Rangiku contemplated her husband's words silently._

"_Gin, do you really believe that saving Rukia-san is the right thing to do?" she finally asked softly._

"_Well, ya know that I've always had a hard time with right an' wrong, but I think I've got it this time."_

_She looked at him critically._

"_There's another reason, isn't there?" Rangiku guessed._

"_Ya got me," Gin admitted. "There is. But I can't tell ya what."_

_Rangiku blinked in surprise. It was not often that her husband kept information from her. Most of the time, it was classified information that was deemed "captains' eyes only." Another instance that stuck more solidly in her mind was the fact that he had never told about his past before he had saved her from starvation. Whenever she had asked, his answer had always been the same: "As far as I'm concerned, I didn't exist before the day I met ya." Whether the answer was flattery or covering up his past or both, there were still parts of Gin's life that remained a mystery to her. And most of the time, she respected his privacy enough that she let him keep his secrets._

"_Trust me, it's a good reason," he continued. "An' maybe I'll tell ya what it is someday, but not now."_

_She knew that Gin would not suggest something on this scale lightly; they both had a good life here in the Gotei 13. If they rescued Rukia, then they would be forced to leave the Third Division, all the friends they had in the Seireitei, and perhaps even have to run to the world of the living in order to survive. If he had a good enough reason that he was willing to ask her to go through all that, then it was indeed very important to him._

_Rangiku sighed again. She looked at the forms in front of her, and the pen in her hand, before tossing the latter over her shoulder in resignation._

"_All right, if it matters that much to you, let's go save Rukia-san; I don't want to do this paperwork anyway."_

* * *

"'Cause yer my second favorite woman in Soul Society," Ichimaru finally answered simply.

"That's not an answer!" Rukia protested.

"Yes it is."

"Gin, stop agitating her and help me get this off," Rangiku scolded as she fiddled with the clasp to Rukia's collar.

The recently rogue captain calmly walked in front of them. Rukia held her breath and stiffened as she saw his hand rose up to her neck. She only exhaled and relaxed after Ichimaru had smoothly unlocked the collar, and let it fall to the ground.

Rangiku glared at him. "Show-off," she muttered as she stood back up. He responded by turning the knob on his smile to Cheeky.

"Okay, next on the list is pickin' up Abarai-kun," Ichimaru said out loud, and then grabbed Rukia by the back of her obi. The former prisoner yelped in surprise as she was lifted off the ground and tucked under his arm. "Let's go!"

* * *

Sentaro stood watch at the window in his captain's office, and kept a nervous eye on the iconic hill at the geographic center of the Seireitei. He knew that any minute now, Rukia's execution would begin. He also knew Ukitake had a plan to save the girl, but if he wanted it to succeed, he had better hurry up.

"Ready!"

Both Third Seats snapped towards their captain's voice, who had finally emerged from his chamber with his tools in hand.

"Has the execution started yet?" Ukitake asked.

"No, sir!" Sentaro answered.

"Good," the captain exhaled in relief. "Then we may not be too late."

* * *

Hanatarō smiled reassuringly at Abarai Renji as he entered the last stages of the healing session. The latter's battle with Kuchiki Byakuya had really done a number on him; the fact that Abarai was still alive spoke volumes of his resilience and Unohana's skills.

"I need to get moving," the patient groaned out.

Hanatarō's smile disappeared, and he used every bit of pitiful arm strength he had to keep the larger man on the ground. Fortunately, the patient was still wounded, so he did not have as much energy to resist his healer's insistence. Another factor in the Seventh Seat's favor was Rikichi's rush forward to help in making sure Abarai recovered correctly.

"Abarai-san!" the mousy man from the Fourth protested. "You can't move just yet! Please let me finish up first!"

"Even if Ichigo rescues Rukia, he's going to need help breaking her out of the Seireitei," the now ex-lieutenant argued back. "I'm healed enough to help him with that!"

"I have to disagree with that!" Hanatarō corrected hurriedly.

"Ya shouldn't argue with yer healer, ya know."

The three men jerked their heads towards the new voice that had spoken. Their surprise at identifying the speaker as Captain Ichimaru was only augmented by what he was carrying under his arm. Or, perhaps it was more accurate to say _who_.

"Rukia!"

"Rukia-san!"

"Kuchiki-sama!"

"Renji! Are you all right?" the girl in question cried from her rather undignified position.

"I'm fine," Abarai assured her. The difficulty he displayed in just raising his head to look at her was dwarfed only by his inability to understand what he was seeing.

"Gin, put her down," the Rangiku instructed, and Hanatarō realized that this was the first time he had ever noticed the gorgeous woman _last_ in a scene. It was indeed a strange day.

Her other half obeyed without another word, and the tiny shinigami immediately rushed to her old friend's side.

"Are you all right? Hanatarō, is he going to recover?" Rukia continued to ask.

"Definitely. I'm almost finished," he answered.

"Hey, you said I wasn't healed enough to fight," Renji protested.

"And that's still true," Hanatarō riposted. "Even though your wounds have been healed, you've still lost a lot of spiritual energy."

"Is he well enough for me to hit him for being an idiot?" Rukia asked.

"Go right ahead," the healer permitted.

"Now, wait a min- OW!"

"YOU _IDIOT!_"

"An' the score is now Rukia-chan's Fist: One, Abarai-kun's Face: Zero," Ichimaru quipped.

"What were you thinking, almost getting yourself killed like that!" Rukia hollered.

"Rukia, you can beat him up later," Rangiku interrupted, preventing the smaller girl from continuing her scolding, and ignoring Renji's protest at the prospect of further injury. "Right now, we need to focus on escaping."

"That's right. But 'fore we do anythin' else," Ichimaru agreed, and then turned to the Sixth Division unseated officer, "Who might ya be?"

"Rikichi, sir, of the Sixth Division," the young man answered promptly as he stood at attention.

"Anyone know yer here?" Ichimaru asked.

"No, sir."

"Then run along. If ya get back to yer squad soon, they'll never know ya helped the enemies of the Gotei 13."

"But I want to help!" Rikichi protested. "I've come this far, haven't I?"

"If ya stay with us, ya might get killed. An' even if ya don't, all you'll get is a life o' exile an' always lookin' over yer shoulder, makin' sure that we don't get caught. Are ya ready to deal with that?"

The unseated officer hesitated for the briefest moment before declaring, "For Renji-san, I am!"

"Rikichi," the red-haired man groaned, "Don't. You've done enough for us. For that, I'll always be grateful. But please don't throw away your future for my sake. We won't think ill of you if you go back now."

"Renji-san, I insist!" Rikichi persisted.

"Jus' as long as ya know what yer gettin' into, an' don't get in our way, ya can come with us," Ichimaru agreed, and then attained a thoughtful look on his face. "Ya know, if we keep attractin' helpers like this, it'll be more convenient fer the rebels to stay in Soul Society an' to have everyone else be exiled."

"Somehow, I doubt that idea would go over well with Yamamoto," Rangiku deadpanned.

* * *

The captain-commander let a subtle sneeze escape him. Either there was a beautiful woman talking about him, or he was coming down with a cold. Conscious of his age and appearance, Yamamoto made a note to have some health-boosting tea later, before focusing his thoughts on a more pressing matter.

Kuchiki Rukia and her escort were late. With the ryoka invasion occurring, and with the goal of the intruders reportedly being to rescue Kuchiki Rukia, the tardiness of the prisoner was a legitimate cause for concern. Perhaps it would have been prudent to assign a captain to oversee the prisoner's transfer from her cell to the execution site.

He looked over to his lieutenant. Chōjirō caught his meaning immediately. He acknowledged the silent order with a nod and set off to investigate what was delaying their arrival.

* * *

"Well, Gin, this was your idea, what should we do now?" Rangiku asked. "We'll need to find the rest of the ryoka and let them know Rukia's been rescued."

"Findin' 'em's gonna be bit o' a problem," Gin said. "Any y'all know where they might be?"

"Kurosaki's under Sōkyoku Hill," Abarai answered as he stood up, now that Hanatarō had finally finished healing him to his satisfaction. "There's an underground training complex. I don't know about the rest of them, though."

"I think they're in the Fourth Division's holding cells," Hanatarō offered.

"It'll be easy to find Zaraki and his crew, just follow the big yellow reiatsu," Rangiku commented.

"We find Kurosaki first," Abarai declared.

Gin sent an inquisitive smile to the wounded warrior.

"He's the only one of the ryoka still free," he explained. "And he's the strongest and the most reckless of them."

"You're not the one to criticize people about being reckless," Rukia scolded.

"Shut up," Abarai snapped back before continuing. "If he doesn't get the message that we've already got Rukia, he'll charge out to the Sōkyoku and get himself killed trying to take on all the captains at once."

"Definitely," Rukia agreed.

"'Kay then, next stop is Secret Underground Training Center," Gin decided. "Let's go!"

"But how?" Hanatarō asked. "Only you and Rangiku-san can flash-step right now."

"Rangiku, carry Rukia-chan and Hanatarō-kun," the now ex-captain declared brightly. "I'll take care of Abarai-kun an' Rikichi-kun."

Four cries of protests went ignored as both Ichimaru lifted their unwilling passengers. Gin simply picked up Abarai and tossed him over one shoulder like a sack of persimmons, and held Rikichi likewise. Rangiku lifted Rukia bridal style in her arms, and allowed the bashful Hanatarō to climb on her back and ride piggy-back style (albeit only after she had given him a direct order to do so).

* * *

Chōjirō arrived at the bridge that connected Sōkyoku Hill and the Tower of Penitence, and that was where he discovered the bodies of the guards. After he scanned their reiatsu levels and confirmed that they were thankfully still alive, he applied some healing kidō to one of them. After a moment, a groan announced his return to the world of the waking.

"What happened?" Chōjirō inquired as soon as the man was coherent.

"It was Ichimaru-taichō and Ichimaru-fukutaichō! They attacked us and took Kuchiki Rukia with them!"

The lieutenant's eyes narrowed.

"See to your fellow guards," he instructed, and after his order was acknowledged, Chōjirō cast a Tentei Kūra to grant him direct communication with Yamamoto.

"_I found the guards unconscious. After waking them, they said that Ichimaru-taichō and Ichimaru-fukutaichō had taken Kuchiki Rukia."_

Silence was the only reply at first, but the lieutenant could feel the anger burning off his captain's mind.

"_Find them. Subdue them. If necessary, _kill_ them. Bring Kuchiki Rukia back."_

"_Yes, sir."_

The Tentei Kūra cut off, and Chōjirō set forth to carry out his orders.

* * *

"We're at the bottom of Sōkyoku Hill now," Ichimaru announced as he stood still. "Where's this secret underground training center of yers?"

"It's right over there," Renji gestured over his shoulder, still facing the wrong way thanks to being slung across the captain's.

"I can't see where yer pointin'," the silver ex-captain complained.

"Then maybe you should put me down!"

The foxlike fighter complied. After satisfied that he was on his feet, Renji pointed out definitively and clearly which way their destination was, with more attitude than perhaps was necessary.

"Thanks."

And then he was promptly yanked off his feet again by Ichimaru, and both of them flash-stepped to the entrance. It was only after all six of them reached the inside of the training room that Gin allowed the two former Sixth Division members to stand by themselves again.

"Hello!" Ichimaru called. "Anyone home?"

"No, come by later," a familiar feminine voice called back, caution laden in every word.

"Yoruichi-san? It's Abarai Renji," the red-haired man announced. "And I've brought some friends home."

"I think the friends brought you," Rangiku teased.

"Shut it," Renji growled.

"Ya should be grateful we decided to let ya tag along," Ichimaru said. "If it weren't fer the fact that Rukia-chan would cry if I left ya an' Rikichi behind, I would've."

"What? Why would you want him and not me?" Renji protested, gesturing to Hanatarō.

"'Cause he's the best healer here," Gin explained, "That makes him more useful than ya right now."

"But I have Bankai!"

"Can ya use it right now?"

"…"

"I thought not."

"Well, this is a surprise," Yoruichi spoke up again as she emerged from behind a promontory. "Ichimaru Gin, come to help us. What's your angle?"

Right around then Renji's brain ceased to function, because while he remembered that the aforementioned woman was quite gorgeous, she was now stark naked. A moment later, his lungs ceased to function for a moment as well, due to one temperamental midget punching him in the solar plexus.

"Avert your eyes, you fool!"

Even though he knew it would be easier to simply obey her than to argue, he couldn't help but protest with a wheezing, "Why… aren't you… mad at the… other guys?"

"Because Rikichi's passed out, Ichimaru-san is married…"

"Yeah, no offense, but I think Rangiku's prettier."

"Good answer, buster," the wife smirked.

"No offense taken," the _au naturel_ woman brushed off casually.

"…and Hanatarō is being a gentleman," Rukia finished.

Renji stared at the other conscious man, surprised that the mild-manner healer wasn't simply resorting to fainting like Rikichi had. Instead, Hanatarō was politely averting his eyes, as if he were considered Yoruichi's modesty more important than his own bashful inclinations.

"Why aren't you bothered by this?" he demanded.

"Well, I am a healer, so I've examined shinigami of both genders before," Hanatarō explained matter-of-factly. "When you've been physically examining people for that long, skin exposure doesn't really bother you."

Renji gaped at the meek officer.

"Oh?" the catlike exhibitionist grinned mischievously, and started to walk towards Hanatarō in a sultry manner. "So _this_ doesn't bother you at all?"

Since his gaze was averted, Hanatarō did not see what "this" referred to, but the seductive tone in her voice was enough to superheat his face and make him back up a few steps while trying to stammer out some sort of coherent response.

"So it's the voice that gets you going, not the looks," she smirked.

"YORUICHI!" A new and clearly irritated voice hollered. "WILL YOU JUST PUT ON SOME CLOTHES?!"

"Okay, fine," she rolled her eyes and walked back the way she came. "Some people are so uptight."

From the same direction Yoruichi had come, Ichigo appeared (fully clothed) with a hand beside his face, obviously meant to shield his view from any and all feminine nudity.

"So, did you do it?" Renji asked.

"Yeah," Ichigo confirmed as he let his hand fall down to his side.

"Did what?" Rukia questioned.

"Bankai," the human said, and then faced her, ignoring the shocked look on her face at his achievement. "And I see you got yourself rescued; good job, I'm glad you finally decided to see reason."

"It's not like they gave me a choice!" she protested, quickly getting over her surprise and stomping up to him. "They were as tyrannical as you were! 'We're going to save you whether you like it or not!' What kind of way is that to rescue someone?!"

"It's the way you save someone when that someone is too dumb to let herself be rescued willingly!"

"Pass the popcorn, will ya, Rangiku?" Ichimaru said.

The bickering duo froze as they remembered their audience.

"Oh, yeah, who're you?" Ichigo asked as he turned to the unfamiliar faces.

"This is Ichimaru Gin-san, and his wife Rangiku-san, the now former captain and lieutenant of the Third Division," Renji introduced. "They're the ones who rescued Rukia. I think you already know Hanatarō, and the guy on the ground over there is Rikichi."

"Thanks, Gin, Rangiku," Ichigo said, though he gave the pair a cautious look.

"Just tryin' to do the right thin'," the former captain shrugged.

"Oh, really," Yoruichi said skeptically as she returned properly clothed. "I admit that I didn't know you that well when I was here, and I admit that things can change in a hundred years, but I would have never have pegged you as the type of guy who would do something for something as noble as 'the right thing.'"

"Maybe I learned one thin' too many from Shunsui, an' now I have this irresistible urge to save damsels in distress," Ichimaru suggested. Rangiku snorted as she rolled her eyes.

The golden-eyed noblewoman gave a skeptical "Hmm," but did not question him further. For now, she seemed willing to accept any help offered to the cause. Addressing motives could be saved until later.

"So, what's next?" Hanatarō asked hesitantly.

"Good question," Rangiku assented. "We saved Rukia, but how are we going to get her out of Soul Society?"

"We'll also have to find my friends," Ichigo put in.

"Yer first priority should be gettin' Rukia-chan out," Ichimaru said. "If she don't make it, then all our work is fer nothin'."

"I'm _not_ leaving them behind," the teenager growled firmly.

"We're not going to," Yoruichi assured him. "But you're not going to be the one to rescue them this time. Ichigo, you take Rukia. I suggest going for the West Gate; you're strong enough that you can lift the gate and let yourself out. I have a cape that will let you fly and get there faster. After you get out, go hide at Kūkaku's place until the rest of us show up."

"What about us?" Renji asked.

"You take Hanatarō and Rikichi out the same direction, but since Ichigo will be moving faster than the rest of you, you'll have to go the slow route," Yoruichi instructed. "Just do your best not to get caught."

"How do we find this Kūkaku person?" Hanatarō asked.

"Just find a place to hide in the First Western District," Yoruichi instructed. "I'll come find you."

Renji and Hanatarō nodded. Rikichi only groaned as he returned to consciousness.

"What?" he asked groggily.

"Just follow me," Renji told him, since he figured it would be easier to explain the whole situation later as opposed to repeating it all now.

"Okay," Rikichi accepted as he managed to stand on his own two feet.

"And you two," Yoruichi finished, pointing at the Ichimaru family, "will go with me to find the rest of the ryoka and help them get out as well. We'll all meet up at the Shiba house."

"Got it," Rangiku said.

"Wait," Rukia interjected nervously, "We're taking refuge with the Shiba clan?"

"Is that going to be a problem?" Yoruichi asked. Her tone was deceptively casual, but there was an undercurrent of challenge within it.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow in slight confusion, and looked to see if he could find any answers from the other shinigami. Hanatarō, Renji, and Rangiku all wore serious looks, and Rikichi seemed to be clueless about this topic, but Ichimaru still wore that same smile.

"No," Rukia finally answered.

* * *

After he had finished his mental conversation with his lieutenant, Yamamoto turned to his immediate subordinates. "Ichimaru Gin and Ichimaru Rangiku have defected to the ryoka's side by seizing Kuchiki Rukia. As of this moment, they are now our primary targets."

"Yamamoto-sōtaichō," Unohana spoke up. "What is the status of the men who were escorting Rukia-san?"

"Sasakibe said they were injured, but not dead."

"May I inspect their condition personally?"

The captain-commander nodded.

"Come, Isane," the chief healer commanded, and the two top seats of the Fourth Division departed.

"For the rest of you, find Ichimaru Gin, Ichimaru Rangiku, and Kuchiki Rukia!" Yamamoto ordered. "If the former two resist, you are authorized to use deadly force. Dismissed!"

"Yes, sir!" came the general acknowledgment.

As they departed, the old man kept a covert eye on his oldest student, Shunsui. He had noticed that the captain of the Eighth Division looked pleasantly surprised by the news of Kuchiki Rukia's rescue. While Yamamoto did not want to think that the man he considered to be a son would betray him, his suspicious mind kept the idea there. Chōjirō had told him a proverb from a western man, one of the few pieces of advice from that culture Yamamoto considered worthy: "Trust, but verify."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry, but while Ichigo's canon rescue of Rukia was awesome, it could not happen in this timeline.

Of all the plot elements in this fic, one of the most difficult to write was how Gin went about rescuing Rukia. In the first couple of drafts, he meets her on the bridge alone, as in canon, and still offers to save her, only to turn her down because he needs to ask Rangiku first. However, he still leaves her with the hope that Ichigo will rescue her. Then I realized that if Gin really did want to save Rukia, he would have asked Rangiku _before_ going to that bridge. And then that opened the can of worms of how _that_ would affect the story line.

I also wanted to find reasons for Gin to risk both his life and Rangiku's for Rukia. In this timeline, since Gin stays close to Rangiku, he also forms closer bonds with his fellow shinigami, and allowed himself to get attached to some of them. He knows that he would do anything for Rangiku, but now he is finding out for himself how far he would go for someone he considers a friend.

And yes, Gin did make a Monty Python joke. No dead parrots were harmed in the making of this fanfic.

"Trust, but verify" is a quote by President Ronald Reagan.

And FYI: for dialogue taken from the series, my primary source was the subtitles from the Japanese version of the anime, but I also borrowed from the manga and English dub if I thought that they offered a better translation of a particular sentence.

My thanks to **haeye**, **ImSeriousBro**, **darkling59**, Raven's Shadow, and anonymous guests for reviewing my story.

* * *

**Omake: Shinigami Illustrated Guide**

"Why would you want to rescue me?" Rukia asked.

"'Cause I wanna adopt ya," Gin answered.

"WHAT?!"

"Well, if we're gonna save ya, the Kuchikis ain't gonna have ya in their family no more," he explained. "So I'll be more than glad to take ya in. Rangiku always wanted a daughter."

Rukia continued to just stare at the fox, allowing her jaw plenty of time to become acquainted with the floor.

"'Sides, don't ya like the ring of Ichimaru Rukia?"

That did it. She turned around and started running off across the bridge as fast as her kimono would allow her.

"Where ya goin', Rukia-chan?" Gin called.

"I'm late for my execution, remember?" she yelled back.


	5. Uprising

Now that the "Rukia Rescuers" had a plan of action, they were ready to leave. Of course, with Kurosaki Ichigo, nothing can ever be that simple.

"Why aren't we leaving at the same time?" Ichigo asked. "Shouldn't we stick together; you know, safety in numbers?"

"You, Ichimaru Gin, and I are the only captain-class fighters here," Yoruichi explained. "Right now, there could be up to nine captains on top of Sōkyoku Hill. They probably know that Rukia is gone, so that means they'll be rushing off to find her. Since we're close to the hill, if one captain finds us this soon, it'll be easy to call the others to our location. If the Ichimarus and I leave first, that attention will be drawn onto us, and should allow the rest of you to escape, assuming you move quickly and quietly."

"Not sure I like bein' bait," Gin commented.

"Well, as you pointed out earlier, if Rukia doesn't get out, then the whole operation is a failure," the golden-eyed woman replied. "So if you've got a better plan, let me hear it."

"Yeah," he grinned. "Ya go out first. We wait fer the other captains to kill ya, an' then Rangiku an' I will stab 'em in the back when their guard's down."

"No," both Yoruichi and Rangiku flatly replied, and then the latter admonished, "Don't make jokes like that; the kids will think you're actually serious."

"Who're you calling 'kids?'" Renji growled.

"It's only to be expected when you act so childish," Rukia sniped.

"Hey, she meant you, too!" he shot back.

"As fun as it is to watch you all bicker, you need to save it for later," Yoruichi interrupted. "Now that we've all agreed on _my_ plan, let's move. See the rest of you on the outside."

She flash-stepped away, to be followed by Gin and Rangiku.

"Let's hope Unohana-taichō ain't at the Fourth right now, ne?" Gin commented after they were outside.

"Hopefully, even if she is, we'll be in and out faster than she can respond to our break-in," the Flash Goddess responded.

"YORUICHI!"

At the same moment the shout registered, a black-and-white blur raced to tackle the former captain. Remarkably, Yoruichi not only managed to sidestep the attack, she then pounced on her attacker in return. Gin caught only a glimpse of Soifon struggling with her old mentor before the force of the impact sent the both of them flying into a forested area which bordered Sōkyoku Hill.

"I guess we're on our own," Gin noted mildly as he watched the two speed specialists disappear into the woodlands.

The couple's attention was drawn to the side once more as they heard a familiar huffing and puffing.

"Wait! Up!" the large lieutenant of the Second panted, and then stopped in terror as he noticed the defecting pair looking at him.

"Do ya really wanna fight us?" Gin asked in amusement. "Or do ya wanna go help out yer captain?"

Obviously preferring any two-on-one odds to be in his favor, Ōmaeda disappeared in a buzz of shunpo to catch up with his commanding officer.

"'Kay, now with that outta the way, let's go arrange a prison break."

* * *

Ukitake and his Third Seats were rushing through the corridors of the Seiretei towards Sōkyoku Hill when two figures flash-stepped in front of them. The captain's heart almost failed him until he realized that it was Kyōraku and his lieutenant.

"Kyōraku," Ukitake exclaimed in surprise. "What's wrong?"

"There's been a change of plans," his old friend smiled. "We won't need to destroy the Sōkyoku after all."

"Did the Central Forty-Six change their minds?" Sentaro asked incredulously.

"Of course not," Kyōraku chuckled. "Gin and Rangiku-chan saved Rukia-chan."

The Third Seats gaped in an identical manner.

"They did? Why?" Ukitake asked, surprise clear in his voice as well.

"Don't know yet," the captain of the Eighth replied. "But now that they've rescued her, we do have the option of backing out."

"What do you mean?" Nanao inquired.

"Well, technically we still haven't broken the law yet," Kyōraku pointed out. "If anyone here wants to keep it that way, we can just let Rukia-chan and her rescuers escape on their own."

Ukitake considered the proposition only briefly. "No," he said at last. "I want to make sure that Rukia lives, and I will do everything I can to ensure that end."

"Figured you'd say that," Kyōraku smiled. "All right, since Rukia-chan's safe right now, maybe we should find the rest of the ryoka and let them know."

"You're right," Ukitake agreed, "Let's go."

"Excuse me, Ukitake-taichō," Nanao said. "But what are you going to do with that?"

The captain looked down at the tools he had intended to destroy the Sōkyoku with.

"I suppose we should make a brief stop by my barracks first," Ukitake suggested sheepishly. "An artifact like this should not be left in the streets."

* * *

"Okay, I think we've waited long enough," Ichigo declared. "Let's go."

"Are you sure we allowed them enough time?" Hanatarō asked hesitantly. "I mean it's only been a couple minutes…"

"I'm with Kurosaki on this one," Renji said. "I think it's time to move out."

"Didn't you hear Yoruichi?" Rukia demanded. "She said we needed to wait!"

"She never mentioned for how long!" Ichigo retorted.

"The reason they went first was so that the other captains would go after them instead of us!"

As if on cue, they felt the reiatsu of a pair of captain-class fighters engage in combat.

"There, mission accomplished, now let's go," Ichigo announced, and before anyone could stop him, he grabbed Rukia's arm and flash-stepped to the clearing directly above the large cave.

"Wow, leaving without saying goodbye?" Renji remarked sarcastically.

Exactly one second after he had done so, Ichigo reappeared, and brought him up to the surface in a similar manner as he had Rukia. Two more uses of shunpo delivered Hanatarō and Rikichi to the same place as the ruffled Renji and Rukia.

"I figured it would be faster for you to let me bring you up here than let you climb the ladder," Ichigo explained belatedly.

"Warn a guy next time," Renji grumbled.

"See you guys later, take care of yourselves," Ichigo said as he yanked Rukia off her feet and held her under one arm.

"Is there a single man who knows how to hold a lady properly?!" the girl protested hotly as she squirmed in his grip.

"It's easier to carry you like this," Ichigo replied casually. "And stop wriggling or I'll drop you."

"When I saw Ichimaru Gin and Ichimaru Rangiku depart alone, I knew that Rukia had to be with you."

The troupe froze as they heard a familiar monotone voice.

All turned to find Captain Kuchiki standing a few yards off, watching them like a hawk sighting mice.

"Kuchiki Byakuya," Ichigo grinned menacingly. He set Rukia back on her feet, and then took off the Tentōken. As he tossed it to Renji, he told him, "Take this and get the others out of here."

"What are you doing?" Rukia hissed.

"I have a score to settle with this guy, and you'll need a distraction in order to get away," Ichigo explained as he brought Zangetsu forward into a standard position.

"You can't fight him!" she protested. "Don't you remember what happened the last time you fought him? I don't care if you say you've learned Bankai, you can't win against him!"

"Rukia, shut up and let Renji rescue you," Ichigo ordered without looking at her.

His casual dismissal of her words sent Rukia into a furious speechlessness as she tried to find the proper way to convince the substitute from not taking an action she deemed suicidal.

"You sure you got this?" Renji took advantage of his old friend's silence to confirm Ichigo's idea while he donned the flight cloak.

Ichigo nodded.

"All right," the ex-lieutenant said, and scooped up Rukia in his arms.

"What do you think you're doing?!" she demanded.

"What?" Renji asked. "I thought you wanted a person who could hold a lady properly."

"Ichigo can't win against Nii-sama!"

"He stands a better chance against him than the rest of us do," the street fighter replied, and then told the other two men, "Hold on tight!"

Rikichi and Hanatarō obeyed by clinging tightly to Renji's arms, and with a concentration of reiatsu, the red-haired man launched into the air.

"Did Rukia say you claimed to have attained Bankai?" the Kuchiki opposing Ichigo asked calmly, but with a healthy seasoning of disdain.

"Well, I was hoping to keep it a surprise, but she just _had_ to spoil it," Ichigo grinned ferociously.

"Ridiculous," Byakuya dismissed. "A mere human like you could not possibly attain the ultimate release of a zanpakutō. Especially not in two days."

"You know, Kuchiki Byakuya," Ichigo started. "Ever since the night Rukia gave me her powers, I've been doing stuff you shinigami say is impossible. I've beaten Hollows, detected spirit ribbons, fought off a Menos Grande, defeated your lieutenant, got shinigami powers of my own, broke into Soul Society, beat your lieutenant _again_, and even fought Kenpachi! What makes you think that a little something like the impossible is going to stop me now?"

The noble lord simply narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, a sign that anyone who knew him would recognize as the prelude to an execution

* * *

Soifon looked on smugly as her Onmitsukidō appeared out of their hiding places and surrounded Yoruichi. She ignored the lieutenant who had just arrived behind her, panting in a shameful manner.

The stealth commander's confidence evaporated as she watched with shocked eyes as her former commander disable all of the Onmitsukidō in the amount of time it took for her afterimage to dissipate, until she and Ōmaeda were the only ones left.

"Incredible!" the broad man gasped. "She took them all out by herself! They're barely more than statues compared to her! Captain, she's really- WHOA!"

His comment was cut off as he managed to sidestep Yoruichi's strike by a hair's breath.

"Ha-HA!" Ōmaeda laughed triumphantly. "You may be able to beat the rest of those guys, but I'm the lieutenant of this division! I'm not a pushover like those- OOF!"

Once again, his declarations were cut short, this time by the former captain of the Second Division successfully knocking him out in a single blow.

"You're slower than your father was," the Flash Goddess noted, and then turned to her old student. "And while it's true that I have abandoned the title of Corps Commander, I don't remember abandoning my _other_ name."

* * *

"There they are," Kyōraku said out loud to the others as he picked up the familiar reiatsu of one of the humans. "Long time no see, eh, Sado-san," he greeted amiably upon landing in front of the ryoka.

The teenager's widened his eyes in fear as he recognized the captain. Without a moment's hesitation, he leapt in front of the others and readied his fist. It did not seem to matter to him that he could not summon his armored form at the moment, due to him still recovering from his previous encounter with this flamboyant yet dangerous man.

"Whoa, calm down, there, Sado-san," Kyōraku chuckled easily. "We're not here to fight."

The dark-skinned human stopped, and gave the captain a skeptical look.

"We just wanted to tell you that Rukia has already been rescued," Ukitake explained as he landed next to his friend.

"What?" Sado rumbled in surprise.

"Kurosaki-kun did it?" a pretty girl asked excitedly.

"It wasn't Kurosaki Ichigo," Nanao reported as she joined the growing crowd of shinigami confronting the ryoka, Sentaro and Kiyone right behind her. "It was the work of one of the captains and his lieutenant."

"Who would've guessed that Gin, of all people, would take to rescuing her?" Kyōraku chuckled.

"Ichimaru-taichō?" said the shinigami helping the ryoka, his jaw dropping in shock.

"Yep."

"Where's Kurosaki, then?" asked another one of the ryoka, a glasses-wearing young man who looked like he could have been Nanao's brother. What was even more interesting was the fact that Kyōraku could detect faint Quincy reiatsu on him. This must have been the one who battled Kurotsuchi.

"I last saw him at the Shrine of Penitence, when Yoruichi had just dragged him off," Jūshirō answered.

"Are you sure that Kuchiki-san is safe with this Ichimaru person?" the maybe-Quincy asked suspiciously.

The Eighth and Thirteenth Division members looked at each other nervously.

"I'm not sure 'safe' is the most accurate word for it," Nanao answered cautiously. "However, since Rangiku-san is with him, he'll behave for her sake."

"Who's she?" the girl asked.

"His wife," Kyōraku answered, and then continued, "Now, the next thing you all should do is escape."

"But what about Ichigo? And shouldn't we try to find Ichimaru and Rukia-san?" Sado asked.

"Gin was my lieutenant, so I know him better than most, and I know that he's a smart guy. He'll be able to get Rukia-chan out," Kyōraku assured him. "As for Ichigo, well, if he has Shihōin Yoruichi with him, he'll definitely be fine."

"But right now, we need to focus on escaping ourselves," Ukitake said. "So please, let us help you."

The ryoka gave each other brief glances before nodding.

"Glad to have you with us," Kyōraku smiled. "Now, quick question: what are your names?"

Introductions were exchanged on both sides. Once this was accomplished the troupe turned to leave, only to find a new figure blocking their path. Bent and wizened though he may appear, even those who had never met him could recognize the clear menace emanating from the form of Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni.

"Shunsui, Jūshirō," the oldest captain in the Gotei 13 said. "I assume that since you have ryoka in company, you are taking them to a cell to have them interrogated."

The two captains winced. They knew that it would take more than shinigami uniforms to sneak humans and a Quincy past Yamamoto. And they also recognized the implications of Yamamoto's statement. The old man was giving them a chance to accept that explanation, and to continue being captains of the Gotei 13, despite the fact that Yamamoto certainly knew that they were thinking of aiding the ryoka.

"It isn't," Ukitake confessed. He was not going to lie to his teacher, especially when it would not be believed.

"Ichimaru's betrayal was a disappointment, as I expected better of an officer who had trained under you, Kyōraku-taichō," Yamamoto growled. "But it seems that they learned how to stoop to such treason from your example."

"The order to execute Rukia-chan is wrong," Ukitake persisted. "She may have given powers to a human, but that is not a crime warranting execution."

"Nanao-chan," Kyōraku murmured. "Take everyone out of here. You don't want to stick around for what's going to happen next."

She almost protested, as she wished to stay by her captain's side, but Nanao knew better. With Kyōraku and Ukitake holding off Yamamoto, she would be the best defense the ryoka had against any other shinigami who showed up. So instead she only nodded mutely, and gestured for the rest of the group to follow her.

Yamamoto noted the departure of the lesser powerful fighters, but to the relief of his old students, the captain-commander chose not to pursue. Kyōraku and Ukitake knew that the best they could do against their old teacher was delay him long enough for the others to escape.

* * *

Hinamori was personally leading a patrol composed of some of the upper officers of the Fifth Division near Sōkyoku Hill, but so far, they had no luck in finding the ryoka.

There was another path coming up on the left, and just as they were about to go straight past it, another group of shinigami appeared from that direction. Hinamori stopped in surprise, and the rest of the patrol followed suit. The lieutenant blinked in surprise as she recognized the leaders of the new arrivals.

"Nanao-san?" Hinamori asked. "What are you doing here? With Kiyone-san and Sentaro-san?"

The other woman opened her mouth to respond, but before any words emerged, all of them were blasted off their feet by an enormous wave of molten reiatsu. The members of the patrol fell to their knees; a couple of them were almost unconscious due to the sheer amount of spiritual pressure. Hinamori could not tell the status of Nanao's company, as she was focused on the condition of her subordinates.

"W-what is this…?" one of the officers gasped.

Hinamori could feel Tobiume trembling inside of her. While the amount of reiatsu should be a dead giveaway unto itself as to the identity of the bearer, the lieutenant's zanpakutō, being a fire-type sword, could identify of the source of the power quicker than the other shinigami could.

Ryūjin Jakka had been unleashed.

"Yamamoto-sōtaichō has engaged in combat," Hinamori managed to tell her subordinates.

"What kind of enemy could force the captain-commander to release his sword?"

"Who cares? We need to get away from here!"

"Everybody that can still walk will drag anyone who can't," Hinamori ordered, and did her best to raise her own reiatsu in order to shield her squad-mates from the captain-commander's spiritual pressure, but it was like trying to extinguish a firestorm with a bucket. She was glad they were not any closer to wherever Yamamoto was; otherwise they would all probably be unconscious or dead.

Being so preoccupied, she failed to notice Nanao and company slipping quietly away.

* * *

"I guess Kenpachi's already been through here," Gin idly commented.

"What tipped you off first: the rising cloud of smoke, or the scattered heaps of injured shinigami?" Rangiku remarked dryly.

"'Scuse me," her husband called to one of the officers, a blond man with glasses and an imperial attitude about him.

"Yes, Ichimaru-taichō?" the officer asked, weariness clear in his voice. And judging by his unconcerned demeanor at their presence, he had yet to get the memo as to their change of allegiance.

"What happened to the ryoka prisoners?" Gin asked.

"Zaraki and some of his crazies crashed in here and broke them out," he answered. "We've managed to clean up most of the damage, but with all the injuries caused by the invasion, we're stretched to our limits. We're lucky no one's been killed. Well, no one except Aizen-taichō, of course."

The officer gave Gin a nervous glance as he said that. Okay, this was getting ridiculous; why did everyone think he had killed Aizen?

Still, that was not important, so the silver man asked, "Ya know where they went?"

"How should I know?" the healer asked in irritation, but then remembered his place and quickly bowed to the superior officers. "I apologize for my rudeness, Ichimaru-taichō! The day's stress has made me forget my manners."

"No big deal," Gin waved off. "Thanks fer the info."

"I'm glad to be of service," the blond officer bowed again as the Ichimarus left.

"Well, this means that findin' the ryoka is gonna be easier," Gin said as they left the Fourth Division. "So, where's that big yellow reiatsu?"

"Well, we last felt it in that direction," Rangiku pointed. "I don't feel him fighting anymore though."

"Hopefully, that just means he's takin' a break after a good fight," he commented.

Rangiku nodded in agreement, "Still, we should head over that way, just to be sure."

Gin returned the nod, and they started flash-stepping over the walls of the Seireitei.

They had only been traveling a couple minutes when an icy voice stopped them in their tracks.

"Ichimaru."

The speaker did not need to specify which; Rangiku had snapped her hand down to Haineko the instant she heard the person call their name and quickly pivoted towards the new arrival. Gin's response was more casual, as he merely turned to face their interceptor, his smile on Standard and his arms across his chest in the appearance of casualness. But his right hand hovered near Shinsō.

Hitsugaya Tōshirō had his arms folded across his chest, disapproval clear in his posture, though one would be hard-pressed to detect it in his face. Just behind and to his right was Kira Izuru, though his own disappointment was much more apparent.

"Hitsugaya-taichō! Izuru!" Gin greeted amiably. "Fancy runnin' into ya here."

"I don't know why you are doing this, and I don't care," Hitsugaya said. "Surrender."

"If ya really wanna give up without a fight, that's fine with me," the fox replied cheekily.

"Ichimaru," Hitsugaya ignored the taunt. "I am only going to warn you once more: surrender now or I will kill you."

"Oh, c'mon," Gin said. "Don'tcha wanna join the revolution an' help rescue Rukia-chan? Or if ya don't wanna leave the Gotei 13, ya can just let us go an' pretend we never ran into each other. Fer ol' times' sake?"

"I cannot allow that," the Tenth Division captain replied, and reached for his zanpakutō. "Ichimaru Gin and Ichimaru Rangiku: I am putting you both under arrest for treason against Soul Society."

Gin's hand dropped to his wakizashi, and he ordered to his wife as he took a defensive stance, "Rangiku, go on without me. I'll take care o' Hitsugaya."

She did not argue, as the lieutenant knew that she would be useless in a captain-on-captain fight.

"Be careful," she cautioned quietly, and then flash-stepped away.

"Kira," Hitsugaya commanded to his lieutenant without removing his eyes from his opponent.

"Yes, sir!" he acknowledged, and took off in pursuit of Rangiku.

With both lieutenants out of the way, the captains now focused on each other. Hitsugaya gripped the hilt of Hyōrinmaru, while Gin was ready to strike out with Shinsō.

They were still for a few moments, each duelist daring the opponent to make the first move.

"Reign over the frosted heavens, Hyōrinmaru!"

"Shoot to kill, Shinsō!"

Blue dragon collided with silver snake, and the battle between two prodigies began.

* * *

Unohana dismissed her last patient with a nod of her head. As she had expected and hoped, none of Rukia's guards had needed any serious healing. They would have a headache for the next day or so, but they would be fine.

Satisfied that she was finished with her work, the captain got to her feet and softly commanded her lieutenant to follow her.

"Where are we going?" Isane asked.

"On an investigation," Unohana answered.

"Investigation?"

* * *

"Hadō Number Four: Byakurai!"

Rangiku jumped to avoid the spell that had been fired at her and drew her sword, facing the other lieutenant who had been chasing her.

"Rangiku-san," Kira said to her, his sword already drawn and ready to attack. "I don't want to hurt you, so please, surrender quietly."

"Considering how execution-happy the Central Forty-Six seem to be lately, I'll pass," she answered.

"Why are you trying to rescue Kuchiki Rukia?"

"Gin thought it was the right thing to do."

His already morose face dropped even further. "That's the only reason?"

"When Gin does something because he feels it's _right_, instead of just because it's what he wants to do," Rangiku explained. "I know for certain that it's the right thing to do.

"Now let me ask you this, Kira: why are you so sure that Rukia-san needs to die?"

"Just as you will follow your captain, I must follow mine," he replied.

"I'm not following him because he is my captain; I am standing by him because he is my husband."

Kira sighed.

"I'm sorry, Rangiku-san," he said, meaning every word of it. "But I must obey orders. Raise your head, Wabisuke!"

* * *

_Third Seat Kira walked through the hallways of the Third Division, a stack of papers under his right arm. While the captain and lieutenant did just enough paperwork to make sure that Yamamoto did not separate them, a good portion of it still had to be completed by some of the lower-ranking officers. Still, considering that Kira had to do all the paperwork for the Third before Ichimaru came, it was actually _less_ bureaucracy than he once had to perform._

"_Izuru!"_

_The blond shinigami stopped and turned toward the familiar voice of his captain. Next to Ichimaru was the newly promoted captain of the Tenth Division. Hitsugaya Tōshirō, if Kira's memory was correct._

"_Yes sir?" Kira asked, "What do you need?"_

"_Hitsugaya-taichō wants to talk to ya," Ichimaru explained._

"_How may I be of service, sir?" Kira asked the white-haired captain._

"_I need a lieutenant," Hitsugaya informed him without preamble, "And out of the potential candidates, I believe you to be the best choice."_

_Kira almost dropped his stack of paperwork in shock. "I'm honored, sir," he said, feeling a mixture of excitement and dread._

"_Do you accept?" Hitsugaya asked._

"_May I have some time to think it over?" Kira hesitantly requested._

_The shorter captain nodded, "I'll give you a few days."_

_With that said, he departed._

"_Congrats, Izuru," Ichimaru grinned. "Ya get to be a vice-captain."_

"_I'm not sure if I want to accept it," Kira admitted._

"_Oh? How 'come?"_

"_While it's an honor to be offered a position as a lieutenant," Kira explained, "it would also mean leaving the Third."_

"_That's all yer worried 'bout? If ya want that seat, ya can take it; it ain't like we're never gonna run into each other."_

"_I suppose so, but while I love the Third, no one's ever refused the position of lieutenant before."_

"_First time fer everythin'."_

"_Are you trying to convince me to stay, Ichimaru-taichō?"_

"_I ain't tryin' to tell ya nothin'. Hitsugaya-taichō asked _you_, not me. If ya wanna be lieutenant, then go with Hitsugaya. If ya don't wanna, then don't. That simple."_

_Kira exhaled._

"_Thank you, Ichimaru-taichō," he bowed in gratitude. "May I be excused? I have some paperwork to complete."_

"_Yeah, go 'head," Ichimaru waved him off._

* * *

If it were any other scenario, Gin would be having fun. Actually, he still was having a good time. He just wished that his fight with Hitsugaya could have come when Rukia's life was not at stake.

But he decided to enjoy the moment. While most people avoided Hitsugaya, the silver captain was one of the few individuals not put off by the young man's icy aura. Though it was far from friendship or even amiable feelings, Gin felt that he had better understanding of the youngest captain than most other people (except of course Hinamori).

So while Gin found it a little sad that he had to fight Hitsugaya like this, he was also excited. For purposes of keeping the Seireitei intact, captains were not allowed to release their swords except in permitted areas. And Bankai? Forget it. Gin thought that the bright spot in this whole duel was that he finally could get a feel for how the white-haired boy fought.

As Gin would strike with Shinsō, Hitsugaya would counter with Hyōrinmaru. When the Tenth captain assaulted with his dragons, the Third captain would parry with his serpent. And just to make things interesting, Gin decided to talk with the kid. He knew that he would not be able to convince the rule-abiding captain to help him out, but that did not mean they could not have a friendly little chat while they fought.

"So, all the Central Forty-Six gotta do is slam their gavels and poor lil' Rukia-chan is killed off," he said conversationally. "Now how is that fair?"

"I didn't know you had taken an interest in ethics," Hitsugaya remarked dryly as he parried a stab from Shinsō.

"It's not a regular habit, but this was a special case," Gin admitted. He stabbed forward again repeatedly, keeping up the assault and not letting his opponent have a chance to counterattack.

"Ichimaru, we have our orders," was the reply as the cold young man batted aside each thrust and managed to keep his defense solid.

"Orders, huh? Who decides which orders are right or wrong?" the fox asked, and pushed forward through a potential opening.

His thrust was avoided as Hitsugaya leapt into the air, and twisted upside-down so that his blade would come swinging at his enemy. Gin parried the attack and extended Shinsō forward.

Hitsugaya twisted to the side and landed on his feet, letting lose another ice dragon as he did so. Gin used shunpo to avoid the attack, and appeared several meters to his opponent's left. He pointed Shinsō to his right as he felt the dragon turn and charge his new location. The frozen creature collided with the force of his reiatsu focused into his zanpakutō, and shattered into thousands of shards of ice.

To nobody's surprise, Hitsugaya flash-stepped behind him with his nodachi raised above his head and ready to cleave the fox in two. The rogue shinigami felt his opponent prepare to attack from behind, and responded by taking a single step of shunpo forward. He entered Hitsugaya's vision once again about fifty feet away facing him, Shinsō pointed towards him, but she did not strike out just yet.

"We must obey our orders if balance is to be kept," Hitsugaya said, and tellingly did not release another attack just yet. "If we don't perform our duties, the world will descend into chaos."

"Oh, c'mon; don't tell me killin' Rukia-chan will help the universe. Ya know just like I do that what she did ain't deservin' o' an execution."

"Perhaps not, but that is not for us to question. If the captains decide to disobey, then the lower ranks will as well. And when there is upheaval in Soul Society, who will be left to perform konsō on whole souls, or to purify Hollows?"

"Ya already got upheaval when Kurosaki Ichigo an' his friends barged in here," Gin pointed out.

"They would have been dealt with eventually."

"Are ya sure 'bout that?"

"For argument's sake, Ichimaru, what will saving Kuchiki accomplish? The Central Forty-Six has ordered her death; even if the ryoka manage to prevent her from dying today, more shinigami will be sent after her, even if Yamamoto has to carry out the sentence personally."

"We'll hide, of course."

"Where?"

"Now, now, I can't go an' tell ya all my secrets, now can I?"

Shinsō took that statement as her cue to strike at her prey once more.

* * *

Renji had to admit, flying was _awesome_. He was moving at velocities that exceeded his own shunpo speed, and with the same amount of energy that it took to walk. As he and his passengers flew over the Seireitei, the wind rushing by them, the first-time flyer wondered if Yoruichi would let him keep the cloak after they had escaped.

"How much further is it?" Hanatarō yelled over the noise of air rushing by them.

Before Renji could reply, he felt a burst of reiatsu shoot towards them. He tried to evade, but a streak of light told him that a Byakurai spell had succeeded in lighting the Tentōken on fire.

"Hantarō!" Renji yelled, "Put out that fire!"

Before the other man could act upon his instruction, another low-level lightning spell buzzed by them, somehow not hitting any of the four yet igniting another portion of the cloth. A third strike not only hit the cloak, but also proceeded to cut off a sizable corner of the Tentōken. Either they were very lucky, or their attacker was _very_ good.

Even though Hanatarō had managed to put out the flames with a spell, the damage already done to the fabric had decreased their flight effectiveness. Renji knew that if they were going to meet up with the ground anyway, they might as well do so in a smooth and less painful manner.

As the rescuers' altitude began to decrease, Renji tried to seek out their attacker. A flash of movement caught his eye, and he finally saw their pursuer. He could not make out the details from the distance, but the white coat on top of a black shihakusho was enough to make his blood go cold.

Renji cursed to himself as he realized that a captain was now hot on their tail, and that their odds for escape had now plummeted into the "very slim" range. He hadn't completely recovered from his _last_ bout with a captain. He took another look, to see if he could identify which captain it was. His eyes could make out a head of white hair, but even as Renji mentally went through the list of captains, he was unable to come up with a match. Ukitake would fit in terms of hair color, but the haori of their pursuer did not have sleeves.

He stopped his internal inquiry of trying to identify their pursuer, and focused on making it down in one piece.

"Everyone brace for impact!" Renji yelled as they approached the ground.

Their landing was actually softer than he had feared. He had to brace himself by going down to one knee, and his two male passengers were sent on a couple of rolls, but they could still run, and that was what mattered.

"We need to go now!" Renji barked to his comrades as he got to his feet and started running past Rikichi and Hanatarō, trusting them to get up and follow after him as soon as they could.

His face slammed into what felt like a brick wall.

Since he was holding Rukia in front of him, she also got an unfortunate bump on her head by the impact of the invisible barrier that had magically appeared in front of them. Belatedly, Renji realized that someone had put up a Danku spell to cut off their escape.

The former lieutenant turned around on his feet to look the opposite direction, and saw their pursuer walking calmly towards them, his zanpakutō already drawn and released in the form of a rapier with the tip pointed at the ground.

It was that moment when Renji realized two things. First, the white apparel was not a captain's haori, as he had first thought, but instead a jinbaori. Second, Renji saw that their pursuer was Sasakibe Chōjirō, the lieutenant of the First Division.

For the first time, Renji wondered how strong this man was. While facing a lieutenant was far better than a captain, Renji knew that he had not recovered enough reiatsu to challenge any rank above Fifth Seat. He had no idea about the capabilities of the First Division's lieutenant, but if he was able to cast an eighties-level spell without incantation and fire off Byakurai with such precision, that meant he was going to be a tough customer, especially in Renji's weakened state.

"I don't like to fight, and I would normally ask that you all surrender quietly," the older man said. "But I don't think you are willing to simply lay down your arms and hand over the prisoner, are you, Abarai-san?"

"You'll have to go over my dead body to get to her," the rogue lieutenant snarled as he set Rukia down. Then he drew his own zanpakutō and charged forward, "Howl, Zabimaru!"

He swung his sword, and felt the dual spirit within roar with anticipation as they extended towards their prey.

Sasakibe batted Renji's attack to the side, instead of a straightforward block. That was when Renji remembered this fighter's fondness for western culture; the man's zanpakutō was not like a katana. Instead of power and raw cutting ability, the rapier focused instead on agility and precise stabs. As Renji considered his tactical options, his opponent was already taking action, but not in the way he had hoped.

"Sai."

The invisible power behind the lieutenant's kidō snapped out and forced Renji's arms behind him, and then sent him face-down on the ground. He panicked for a moment at his immobility, before seeing that Sasakibe had turned his back and was now focusing on the rest of the troupe. While Renji was confident he could break free from the low-level spell, even one cast by a vice-captain, it would take him a minute of struggle, and a lot could happen in that minute.

Both Hanatarō and Rikichi drew their swords on the lieutenant, placing themselves between him and their ward.

"Hanatarō, when I charge, you run," Rikichi said, and his tone left no room for argument.

Seeing as they had little time to debate the matter, Hanatarō nodded quickly, and grasped Rukia's hand in preparation.

With a loud battle cry, the young man from the Sixth Division charged with his sword held high. Sasakibe deftly sidestepped the attack as the young man's blade dropped down, and lightly shoved Rikichi. He was slammed into the stone wall by the force, and his wind knocked out of him briefly.

"Shitotsu Sansen."

An outline of a golden triangle formed and shot forward to pin Rikichi to the wall.

Hanatarō and Rukia had not made it far when Sasakibe turned his attention towards them. A single use of shunpo put him directly in front of them and stopped them in their tracks.

"Yield," he ordered simply.

The healer gulped and shook his head in nervous defiance as he drew his zanpakutō and held it in front of him.

"Rikujōkōrō."

Six beams of light slammed into Hanatarō's waist and paralyzed him.

Sasakibe was just about to reach for the recently freed prisoner when he felt his first spell being broken. Renji, while still injured and not having fully recovered from his battle with Captain Kuchiki, still had enough reiatsu in him that he managed to break the bakudō holding him.

Not even allowing himself to catch his breath, the Rukongai warrior charged forward in blind fury and whipped Zabimaru between his friend and his enemy. Without any discernible concern in his features at this assault, the lieutenant stepped back to avoid the attack, and faced his first opponent once more.

"RUN, RUKIA!" Renji roared as he swung his zanpakutō again.

The girl hesitated, unwilling to leave her childhood friend when it might mean his death.

"Rikujōkōrō."

Not wishing to be paralyzed by a bakudō spell again, Renji ducked and rolled out of the way of the incoming rods. His grin at avoiding the binding attempt fell as he saw that he was not the intended target.

Rukia was now unable to run even if she wanted to, for there were six golden beams holding her in place.

Renji cursed. The only way to get her out now was to beat Sasakibe, and he had to admit, he did not like his chances. But he raised his sword anyway, and Zabimaru flew to attack their target.

Sasakibe disappeared just as the blade was about to reach him. Renji's eyes widened, and before he could react, his opponent appeared in front of him and pierced him in the exact spot where his left arm met his shoulder.

Renji hissed in pain as he felt the blade penetrate through his left socket, and clumsily retaliated by swinging Zabimaru. However, since the sword was still extended, he could not gather enough energy to use it properly, so it was a simple matter for Sasakibe to withdraw his own zanpakutō, which brought another gasp of pain from Renji, and bat the clumsy attack aside. The fencer then used his free hand to grab Renji's right wrist in a surprisingly strong grip, and followed up by stabbing him in the solar plexus.

"I admire the loyalty you have for your friend," the golden-eyed man said. "But if you continue like this, you will only succeed in killing yourself. Please yield and let Hanatarō treat your wounds."

"If I give up on saving Rukia while I still breathe," Renji coughed up blood. "I might as well be dead!"

Sasakibe gave him a considering look for a moment. Then he exhaled through his nose, and nodded once, as if he understood his opponent's reasons.

"Very well," the lieutenant said. "Then I suppose the only thing I can do for you is to allow you to die with the knowledge that you did your best to protect Kuchiki Rukia."

He then pulled his zanpakutō out of Renji, and aimed it at his heart.

"_STOP! PLEASE!"_

Rukia's horrified scream made Sasakibe hesitate for a moment.

He turned his head towards the paralyzed girl and told her with no small amount of sympathy in his voice, "I would advise you to close your eyes for this, Rukia-san."

"Please don't kill him," she begged.

"To kill him now would be the kindest option available to me," he replied. "I have been ordered to recover the prisoner and bring in those who aided in her escape. If I spare Abarai-san, he will be tried and sentenced by the Central Forty-Six. Think about this, Rukia-san: if the Central Forty-Six would execute _you_, a noble from the Kuchiki clan for a relatively minor crime, what do you think they'd do to your friend?"

The girl paled.

"The kind and honorable action," the lieutenant finished, "is to end his life here in battle, where he can die with dignity defending you."

Sasakibe turned back to his beaten yet unbroken opponent, and prepared to make that final stroke.

"_RENJI!_"

* * *

Isane nervously followed her captain as they approached the outer gates of the Central Forty-Six's offices.

"No guards are here," Unohana noted out loud.

The lieutenant looked around and realized with a start that she was right; with such important leaders such as the Central Forty-Six, there were always a contingent of guards and sentries to ensure their safety. But now, the gates were eerily absent of any protective measures.

They crossed the bridge leading to the inner sanctum's door.

"Unohana-taichō requests an audience with the Central Forty-Six," the lead healer called out formally.

The only response was the activation of the emergency defense system.

"Now what?" Isane asked.

Unohana did not reply for a moment. Then she raised her right hand, and declared, "Byakurai."

The silver-haired girl gave a horrified gasp as she witnessed her captain cut down the door which prevented their entrance. Breaking and entering into the offices of the Central Forty-Six was a capital offense! While Isane doubted that there was anyone who had the courage to execute Unohana (_maybe_ Yamamoto… maybe), there was still the principle of the matter!

Before she could voice any protests, her elder spoke again, "The alarm is not sounding."

Isane's feeling of eeriness amplified as she realized that something _not right_ was occurring.

She followed her captain down the long staircase, and they finally came upon the chambers of the Central Forty-Six.

Isane gasped in horror at the sight that greeted them, and Unohana looked on in controlled shock.

Blood greeted their eyes. There was not a soul left alive in that room.

* * *

**Author's Note:** While the personal saving of Rukia was performed by Gin and Rangiku, there was _no way_ I was going to alter the battle between Ichigo and Byakuya.

Another very difficult part to write was trying to figure out all the timing of the scenes. With something like three dozen characters in half as many battles, it took a lot of re-watching of the episodes to place all the scenes in a way that fit right.

As usual, many thanks to my reviewers: **Juliedoo**, **haeye**, **TykkiMikk**, Raven's Shadow, and anonymous guests.

The part where Gin asks Hitsugaya about orders is a reference to the Bleach Musical (Played Seriously here, though). Speaking of which…

* * *

**Omake: Shinigami Illustrated Guide**

"You are going against orders," Hitsugaya warned his opponent.

"It's no big deal!" Gin cheerfully replied, immediately relaxing his stance.

Hitsugaya blinked in confusion as he heard music starting to play from an unknown source. In addition to that, the area around them darkened and a spotlight shone on Ichimaru. Befuddlement painted his face as the fox started singing in a surprisingly decent voice.

"_Who decides what orders are the right ones?_

_Just where is the truth? Do ya know?"_

"Shut up."

The cold command immediately ended the spell. Ichimaru stopped singing, the music cut, and the scene returned to its proper luminosity. Puzzled by the sudden silence, he turned towards Hitsugaya and gave him a frown of disappointed curiosity.

"You idiot," Hitsugaya growled in frustration as he cradled his forehead with his left hand, "This is _not_ the musical."


	6. Treachery

The two top officers of the Fourth looked on in horror at the forty-six corpses which had once been the ruling body of Soul Society.

"H-how could this happen?" Isane asked hoarsely.

"I believe we'll find the answer this way," Unohana replied resolutely as she walked out of the chamber and through another corridor. Belatedly, Isane rushed to keep up with her captain.

The lieutenant realized that they were entering the area known as the Purewood Towers. It was the residence of the Central Forty-Six, and on pain of death, no one aside from them was allowed to enter. Instinctually, Isane thought about pointing this out to her captain, but considering the macabre scene which they had just discovered, perhaps such an indiscretion would be pardoned in this instance.

They entered the forest of towers, and Isane immediately saw a figure emerging from the nearest one. She gasped upon recognizing him.

"Hello, Aizen-taichō," Unohana greeted gravely, seemingly unsurprised at his "not-quite-dead" status. "But I believe that 'taichō' is no longer appropriate, is it, perpetrator of high treason, Aizen Sōsuke."

"How do you do, Unohana-taichō?" Aizen replied warmly, but Isane could detect no true affability in that tone anymore. "I was thinking if you were going to come, it would be soon. Did you know I was here right away?"

"If you went through all the trouble of creating a fake corpse of yourself, then there would be no better place to hide than in these chambers, where entry is forbidden," Unohana answered.

"Close," the newfound traitor admitted, "But you made two mistakes. The first is your assumption that I came here to hide myself. And the other…"

Suddenly, Aizen was holding the dead body they had found pinned high to the wall a couple of days prior.

"…this isn't a corpse figure."

Both women looked on in surprise.

"W-when did he…?" Isane asked.

"When did I get this?" Aizen finished her question. "I've been holding this the whole time. Only until this very moment, I just hadn't decided to show you that."

What followed was a full explanation regarding the effects of Kyoka Suigetsu's Complete Hypnosis, after which he brought out a long strip of cloth. With a whip of his wrist, the ribbon extended to surround him. Unohana immediately recognized it as a teleportation device.

"Lastly, let me compliment you," Aizen spoke as the teleportation spell began its work. "Although you touched it the longest for your examination, you were superb to sense even a slight incongruity about my corpse while under Complete Hypnosis, Unohana-taichō.

"Farewell; I doubt we shall meet again."

Isane was not about to let the traitor leave without a fight, and even if she was a healer with limited combat experience, her anger ruled that she attack. She charged forward and drew her zanpakutō, but it was too late; the spell had already allowed Aizen to escape.

Isane cursed as she realized that the criminal had gotten away.

"It could not be helped," Unohana assured her. "Find out where he went."

The lieutenant immediately got to work and tracked down the coordinates of Aizen's teleportation destination with a Kakushitsuijaku spell.

"It's Sōkyoku Hill," she announced.

"Very well," Unohana acknowledged. "Send a message to all captains and lieutenants informing them of the situation. After you have done so, we will go to Sōkyoku Hill and treat whatever wounded may be there." The chief healer paused for a moment, as if she were considering something. Then she instructed, "And also, send that same message to the ryoka as well."

* * *

Chōjirō had the point of his sword aimed at Abarai's heart, and was about to commit the rather unsavory act of ending the man's life when he felt a burst of captain-level reiatsu appear on his spiritual radar. A moment later, the head of the Ninth Division materialized right next to Kuchiki Rukia, noticeably without his haori, and with bandages over his upper right torso.

"Tōsen-taichō," Chōjirō said in surprise. The Ninth did not have patrols anywhere near this area, so why was their captain here?

Without a word to the lieutenant, the blind captain took out a white ribbon Chōjirō immediately recognized as a teleportation spell. Before he could react, Tōsen had taken himself and Rukia away, the latter still bound by the Rikujōkōrō spell.

Chōjirō regained his composure and frowned. It seemed that Tōsen's sense of justice declared that the Kuchiki girl should not die. He wondered how many others the Gotei 13 would lose due to the Central Forty-Six's decision to execute this child. He was not unsympathetic to the rescuers' cause, but his own path lay with his captain. He wanted to alert Yamamoto of the occurrence, but he felt that the old man's sword was already released, and that meant he was now in combat. It would not be a good idea to distract him.

So instead, Chōjirō first cast a Rikujōkōrō spell to bind Abarai in place. It would have been easier to just kill the man, as he intended to only moments before, but he never liked killing, even when it was necessary. Besides, there was something bothering him: if Tōsen had truly come to save Kuchiki Rukia, then why did he just take her and leave her friends behind? His pride in Justice should have guided him into battling Chōjirō to rescue all of the defectors. And from the look on Abarai's face, it appeared that Tōsen's actions were as much of a surprise to him as well. Until the old lieutenant had the answer, he would keep Abarai alive.

After he had confirmed that his adversary was restrained, Chōjirō cast a Kakushitsuijaku to track where the renegade captain had gone.

Surprise once again took him as he recognized the coordinates of Tōsen's destination. If the captain had arrived to help Rukia escape, Chōjirō would have expected them to head west, the general direction she and her rescuers had apparently been going. Perhaps even north or south, to throw off pursuers.

Instead, he found that Tōsen's location was Sōkyoku Hill. Why would he go there, if his intention was to rescue the condemned girl?

Unless saving Kuchiki Rukia was _not_ his goal.

The golden-eyed veteran came to the conclusion that there certainly had to be a third party involved with this conflict. Tōsen obviously did not take Kuchiki Rukia on the authority of the Gotei 13, but it was now apparent that he was not there to save her, either. This unknown third party would also explain Aizen's death. Chōjirō was as puzzled as anyone else by the identity of the captain's killer; he knew that none of the ryoka had the power to kill Aizen, and even if they did, none of the reports he had heard indicated that they would be vicious enough to nail him to a wall on his own sword. After all, there had been no fatalities at the hands of the ryoka as of yet; the closest case was Kurotsuchi Mayuri, who had been forced to retreat from his attacker in a liquid state.

It was for that reason that the old lieutenant suspected that the Quincy (the same one who almost killed Kurotsuchi) might have been the culprit. He knew firsthand how vicious the spiritual archers could be in a fight, especially if they were out for revenge; impaling an enemy to a wall would not be out of character for them.

But if this third party was responsible, then that meant that the ryoka were innocent of murdering a captain.

That was why when he received Isane's message only a minute later, he was not surprised to learn that another party had indeed been responsible for recent events. However, he was as surprised as anyone else as to learn the identity of that third party. From the way Renji appeared to be listening, it looked like Isane's message had reached him as well. Good; that meant one less person to inform.

He turned to the two other shinigami still trapped in his binding spells. With a wave of his hand, he dispelled the effects, and all three of them were freed.

"Abarai-san," Chōjirō called. "Since there is no need for us to fight anymore, I suggest that you let Hanatarō tend to your wounds. I will also let you explain the situation to your compatriots."

"You're letting us go that easily?" Abarai rasped as he sealed his zanpakutō and eased down to the ground. The healer was at his side a second later with kidō spells active.

"Carrying out fraudulent orders is illegal, Abarai-san," the lieutenant of the First Division chided mildly, and sent a small smirk in his direction. "If you had told us that earlier, we could have avoided this whole bloody mess."

Abarai scoffed in humor at the remark, only to regret it as he coughed up another load of blood.

Satisfied that his work here was done, the oldest lieutenant in the Gotei 13 flash-stepped at top speed towards the geographic center of the Seiretei, where he knew two traitors to be found.

* * *

Hinamori's patrol slowly made their way through the streets of the Seireitei, and they gradually were able to breathe easier as they walked or were dragged away from Ground Zero of Yamamoto's Shikai. Their flight was finally stopped as the lieutenant inspected the condition of her troops and saw that they were now all able to breathe comfortably.

"Is everyone all right?" she asked.

A round of affirmatives, some more out of breath than others, answered her.

"Good," she continued. "We'll have to find another way around. And what happened to Nanao-san?"

The Fifth Division patrol looked around and saw that they were the only ones in the area.

"They must have gone the other way to escape Yamamoto's reiatsu," the Fourth Seat suggested.

"Probably," Hinamori agreed. "But what was she doing…?"

The lieutenant stopped when she felt the effects of a Tentei Kūra spell making contact, and the other officers looked at her inquisitively. She held up a hand to stay any questions they might have, in order to hear the message clearly.

"_To the Gotei 13, all captains, lieutenants, and ryoka lady and gentlemen, this is Kotetsu Isane-fukutaichō of the Fourth Division. This is an urgent message from Unohana-taichō and myself. Everything I'm about to tell you is absolutely true."_

The joy at hearing that her beloved captain was alive quickly turned to horror and disbelief as she heard how he had murdered the Central Forty-Six and faked orders for Kuchiki Rukia's execution. There was no way her Captain Aizen would do such a thing, was there? It had to be a mistake, some kind of misunderstanding! There was only one way to make sure.

"Fourth Seat," Hinamori said softly, as she came to a decision. "You are in charge now."

"Hinamori-fukutaichō?" he said in surprise.

"I don't have time to explain it all now," the lieutenant continued. "But get everyone back to the barracks, and wait there."

"What about you?" the Sixth Seat asked.

"There's something I need to find out."

Without another word, Hinamori flash-stepped as fast as she could to Sōkyoku Hill, even risking going through the storm of the captain-commander's reiatsu she had just struggled out of. She did not see the need to tell them of Aizen's alleged betrayal, not until she had seen the truth for herself. And that was _exactly_ what she intended to do.

* * *

Nanao froze as she listened to Isane's message, and a look at her compatriots confirmed that they, too, had heard the news.

"Nee-san," Kiyone said softly.

"I'm going to Sōkyoku Hill," Nanao told the group, her tone not allowing any argument. "Kiyone, Sentaro, look after the ryoka."

Without waiting for confirmation, she disappeared in a buzz of shunpo.

* * *

Still unable to move her body because of Sasakibe's spell, Rukia's eyes darted around in confusion as the long cloth gradually retracted, to find that she had arrived at the very place her friends were working so hard to keep her away from: the Sōkyoku.

"Welcome, Kuchiki Rukia."

She was not well-acquainted with the man, but Rukia still recognized Aizen's voice, even though she had thought he was dead.

"That will no longer be necessary," Aizen said with feigned kindness as he dispelled the Rikujōkōrō from around her.

Rukia stammered wordlessly for a few moments as the traitor walked up to her.

And suddenly, she was in someone's arms, and several meters away from her previous location.

"Sheesh, remind me to yell at Renji next time I see him."

Rukia gasped and looked up. "Ichigo!"

"Hey," the substitute replied, and nodded to the Fifth's ex-captain. "That Aizen?"

The petite girl nodded.

Ichigo set Rukia down on her feet, and told her, "Stay here. I'll fight 'em."

"Are you _insane?!_" she shrieked. "Look at you! Your fight with Nii-sama has left you barely standing! How do you expect to beat two captains by yourself?!"

"Don't make such a fuss," Ichigo snapped back. "You may be right, and I won't win, but at least I'll buy time for people on our side to get here."

With that declaration, Ichigo raised his black blade and charged forward.

* * *

Gin and Hitsugaya paused in their duel as they heard Kotetsu Isane's message.

"What do ya think o' that, Hitsugaya-taichō?" Gin asked. "Sounds like we're more needed up on the hill."

"Agreed," the other captain replied as he resealed his zanpakutō and returned him to his sheath.

Together, the two flash-stepped to the top of the hill within a couple of minutes, where they saw one very alive Aizen holding a terrified Rukia by her arm. Just a few feet away lay Kurosaki Ichigo, evidently defeated but still conscious. He looked at the new arrivals with relief on his face.

"Yare, yare, Aizen," Gin remarked as he took in the scene. "So, this is the face you've been hidin' from us all these years."

"Ichimaru-taichō, Hitsugaya-taichō," Aizen greeted them calmly. "Welcome."

"So, Aizen," the silver fox said casually. "Why do ya want to kill Rukia-chan?"

"Her death is necessary in order to attain my goals," the recently revealed mastermind answered.

"Well, I think ya should let her go right now. Ya see, I'm a lil' fond of Rukia-chan, an' I don't want her to die."

"Let me ask you this, Ichimaru Gin," Aizen said, handing off his grip on Rukia's arm to Tōsen. "Who would you rather save: Kuchiki Rukia, or your wife Rangiku?"

"Now yer gettin' nasty," Gin remarked. "Are ya makin' a threat?"

"The opposite, in fact," Aizen countered smoothly. "I am merely pointing out that Kuchiki Rukia's fate is certain; your wife's is not."

"Ya sure that ain't a threat?"

"I am not deliberately setting out to kill her, Ichimaru Gin, but since I intend to make war against the Gotei 13, I'm sure you can understand that there is death in war. I am making you an offer; your personality and skills are unique and quite interesting, and I am sure I could make great use of them. I should warn you, that the days of Soul Society are numbered; I am giving you and your wife the opportunity to follow me and ultimately survive."

"Ya really know how to sell a guy, Aizen," the fox commented. "But what makes ya so sure that yer gonna win? Ya got eleven captains against ya, an' all ya have on yer side is Tōsen over there."

The former Ninth Division captain bristled at the implied insult, but restrained himself from attacking without permission from Aizen.

"The key to my power is within Kuchiki Rukia," Aizen explained. "Stored inside her soul is an object called the Hōgyoku that erases the divide between shinigami and Hollow, creating in the process a hybrid more powerful than either. That is my ultimate goal: to break past the limits of a shinigami, and ascend to heights beyond which have ever been attained before."

"It really does that?" Gin asked, sounding skeptical but not rejecting the idea.

"Urahara Kisuke was the one who made it," Aizen informed him. "It works."

"Huh," the snake replied, and gave the offer a good thinking over for a moment before he answered, "Okay, I'm in."

Both Rukia, restrained by Tōsen, and Ichigo, from his wounded position on the ground, gasped in horror.

"Jus' let me find Rangiku an' bring her here," he said.

Before he could start to pivot, though, a large anthropomorphic canine rose up from behind Aizen with his sword raised and his lupine mouth forming a snarl of fury. Upon recognizing the gauntlets and haori of the unusual being, Gin realized with a start that this was actually Captain Komamura, unmasked at last. He only allowed himself a moment to be surprised by this revelation before he focused on the matter at hand.

"AIZEN!"

Calmly, the lead traitor caught the large captain's sword with his bare hand.

Komamura's follow-up punch forced Aizen to leap away to a safer position next to his subordinate.

Before he attacked again, Komamura turned to his old friend and demanded, "Tōsen, if you have an excuse, tell me now!"

The blind former captain's silence was his only response.

"You don't? Nothing?" asked Komamura, and then growled, "That's too bad, Tōsen."

An explosion of reiatsu signaled captain's release of Bankai. Before he could make use of it, however, Aizen suddenly appeared in front of him.

Komamura gasped in surprise, and looked in time to see the image of his enemy next to Tōsen disappear. The illusionist used this distraction to begin his attack.

"Hadō Number Ninety…"

He was forced to cut off his incantation and whip his head backward to avoid being impaled on a suddenly extending sword. But he did not dodge it completely. While his skin remained unscratched, his glasses were not so fortunate. The frames were sliced through, and the pieces fell off his face and fell to the ground, the lenses cracking upon impact. Komamura took the opportunity to bring down the gargantuan blade of his Bankai down on the traitor. Aizen leapt out of the way of the massive sword, and reached for his own zanpakutō, only to snatch his hand back away at the last second before a lightning fast blade could sever it from his arm. The former captain turned his head and looked with a straight, serious face at the culprit.

"Aizen, 'bout what I said," the fox grinned from ear to ear. "Jus' kiddin'."

* * *

Rangiku had just resealed her sword after defeating Kira, and had just sheathed it when Isane's message made contact with them both.

She gasped at hearing the news of Aizen's betrayal and murder of the Central Forty-Six, and the fact that all orders concerning Kuchiki Rukia were falsified. From the horrified expression on Kira's face, she guessed that he also received the message.

"Rangiku-san, I'm so sorry," he said from the ground.

"It's all right." She knelt down and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder briefly. "Just stay there and rest; I'll head to Sōkyoku Hill."

"Good luck," he called to her as she left.

Once again, Rangiku set off to save Rukia's life. And this time, the rest of Gotei 13 would also be there to do the same.

* * *

Ichigo's hopes rose when he saw how Ichimaru's strike was quick enough to prevent Aizen from drawing upon his deadliest asset.

After his first attack, Ichimaru immediately followed up with a thrust forward from Shinsō, and the seemingly limitless blade sped towards her target.

"Danku."

The shield of kidō magic cracked but held its ground, and succeeded in stopping Ichimaru's zanpakutō in her tracks. At that same moment, Komamura brought his enormous Bankai down on Aizen's head.

But it was too late; Aizen had drawn his sword.

Stopping the gargantuan blade with his own, Aizen then finished the spell he had attempted to use earlier.

"Hadō Number Ninety: Kurohitsugi."

This time, Ichimaru was unable to prevent the man from the spell from completing, and Komamura was enveloped in a deadly box devoid of light. A moment later, he came into visibility again, and collapsed from the number of lacerations covering his body.

Ichimaru obviously realized that it was time to play hardball, and pointed his wakizashi at his opponent again. Then he uttered, "Bankai."

Before he could strike, the fox jerked forward and lost his balance, and it suddenly registered to him that he was bleeding profusely from a deep diagonal slash wound on his back. The illusion shattered to reveal Aizen standing behind him, Ichimaru's blood dripping from the blade.

"I must admit, that was the first time someone managed to prevent me from drawing Kyōka Suigetsu," Aizen complimented as his latest opponent fell to the ground unconscious. "I do wish you had chosen the wiser course and joined me. You would have been a most interesting subordinate."

He whipped his sword once, flicking the crimson liquid off her before returning Kyōka Suigetsu to her sheath.

"And now, where was I? Oh, yes, I was in the middle of explaining to you…"

"Hadō Number Four: Byakurai!"

The electrical bolt of kidō hit Aizen in the back, but did nothing more than singe his coat. He calmly turned to see a brunette woman wearing glasses, two fingers pointing in his direction, and now looking at him with a pale, terrified expression as she saw how ineffective her attack was.

At that moment, Hitsugaya flash-stepped in front of the newly arrived Nanao. In the debacle with Ichimaru and the subsequent short-lived fight involving the fox and the hound and the illusionist, Ichigo had almost forgotten about the quiet young man.

"Hitsugaya-taichō!" the woman cried in surprise.

Before she could react, the white-haired captain had already drawn his zanpakutō and let loose an ice dragon from the tip, obviously activating his Shikai on a mental command. The dragon encircled the shocked woman with its body, pinning her arms to her sides and trapping her within its frozen coils.

"What are you doing?!" Ichigo yelled at Hitsugaya. "Didn't you hear the message? Aizen's your enemy!"

"No, he is not, Kurosaki Ichigo," the mastermind corrected.

The shock on Rukia and Ichigo's faces was even greater than the one they had worn when Ichimaru "agreed" to join Aizen.

"What?" the substitute shinigami asked.

"Ichimaru-taichō was understandably mistaken when he said that there were eleven captains against me," the smug sophisticate explained. "But there are only ten; both Kaname and Tōshirō work for me."

With that said, he turned his gaze back to his captive.

"Kuchiki Rukia, when you were sighted again in the world of the living, the first thing I did was kill the Central Forty-Six."

* * *

Rangiku lost her footing and almost fell when she suddenly felt something like a punch to her gut. She could feel her husband's reiatsu ahead, and she could feel how it had suddenly dropped to a dangerously low and potentially fatal level.

"No, Gin," she whispered, and urged herself to move faster. "Don't you _dare_ die on me."

* * *

"It was because I judged that a possibility had arisen that the execution would fail due to your efforts," Aizen continued his monologue. "There are only two ways to remove a foreign object directly embedded inside a soul: either by evaporating the soul acting as the outside shell with an ultra-high temperature destructive force like the Sōkyoku, or by somehow going directly into the soul structure and forcibly detaching it. If, by some chance, the Sōkyoku execution were to fail, I would have to find the other way."

As he continued this monologue, the deceiver reached into his shihakusho and removed a small, thin cylindrical object.

"What I needed to do that was information kept in the Underground Assembly Hall's Great Corridor of Spirit Documents. One piece at a time, I investigated every scrap of Urahara Kisuke's past research. Embedding of a foreign object in a soul was a technology he developed after all. I surmised, therefore, that the technology to remove it must also be hiding there."

He seemed to switch something on, and the object released a cloud of ash into the air. Six large spikes erupted from the ground in a circle surrounding Aizen and Rukia, and the former's hand turned a plant-like green.

"And _this_ is the answer."

Aizen suddenly drove his gloved hand directly into Rukia's chest. As Ichigo looked on helplessly, it seemed like a fist had been shoved into his own heart as well. All his training with Urahara, his fight with Ikkaku, his clash with Renji, his battle with Kenpachi, his duel with Byakuya, and he could do nothing but watch the one he had sworn to protect be killed right in front of him.

After a moment that seemed more like an eternity, Aizen removed something from Rukia's body and dropped her to the ground, a gaping hole reminiscent of a Hollow's where he had punctured her. Ichigo almost leapt for joy when he saw the hole close up and Aizen noted that Rukia had been unharmed in the retrieval of the Hōgyoku.

"But unfortunately, I no longer have use for you," the sociopathic sadist said, and once again picked up Rukia by the front of her kimono, and dread rushed into Ichigo's heart. "Kill her, Tōshirō."

"Very well," Hitsugaya said as turned towards his master and pointed the tip of his sword in the direction of the helpless girl.

At an unspoken command, another icy dragon emerged from the blade's tip and flew towards his prey. Ichigo tried to get up, but his body refused his commands, and for the second time in less than a minute, the substitute shinigami was forced to watch as someone killed Rukia.

But instead of a small girl, the frozen serpentine creature impacted itself on the body of Kuchiki Byakuya.

"Nii-sama…" Rukia said in quiet shock.

The ice shattered, and Byakuya sank to his knees, held up only by the petite form of the sister he had just shielded.

"Nii-sama! Why did you save me?"

Aizen calmly took a few steps forward and reached for his sword. Ichigo realized with a panic that the man intended to finish the job himself.

Before he could, the traitor was interrupted by the arrival of Jidanbo and Shiba Kūkaku. The latter's Raikōhō spell forced Aizen to relocate, but before he could retaliate, two forms flash-stepped in front of him, one keeping Kyōka Suigetsu in her sheath, the other holding a blade to his neck.

"Well, isn't this a nostalgic face?" Aizen remarked calmly.

"Don't move," Yoruichj ordered. "If you so much as twitch one muscle…"

"I'll lop your head off," Soifon finished, her wakizashi only a millimeter away from carrying out her threat.

"I see," Aizen conceded.

As Yoruichi and Kūkaku bantered, Tōshirō stood by and calmly witnessed his master's seeming checkmate.

* * *

"I guess I better go help," he grumbled, but was stopped by a sword at his own throat.

"Don't. Move," hissed the furious, feminine and all-too familiar voice from behind him.

Tōshirō turned his head enough for his captor to enter his line of vision. After his eyes met with Hinamori's, he sighed and faced forward again.

"Apologies, Aizen-taichō," he said. "I've been captured."

As events continued around him with the other officers of the Gotei 13 arriving on the plateau, Hinamori whispered angrily in his ear, "Why did you do it, Tōshirō? I didn't believe Isane-san at first, but I heard Aizen-taichō admit to killing the Central Forty-Six. I saw Aizen-taichō order you to kill Rukia-san. _I saw you try to kill Rukia-san!_ Why did you betray us?"

Hitsugaya turned his head again and looked at her, and he could see the hidden question in his old friend's eyes.

_Why did you betray me?_

If the cold former captain had any reply, she never heard it.

At that moment, a burst of light came from the sky and surrounded Aizen, liberating him from Yoruichi and Soifon.

Hinamori looked up along with everyone else to see Gillians emerge from a crack in the sky, and two more pillars of light came down. One freed Tōsen from Hisagi, while the other separated her from Tōshirō.

"It looks like this is goodbye," Tōshirō said, his voice tainted with sadness, and slowly turned to face her completely. "Momo… I'm sorry."

Hinamori could do nothing but stare into his eyes, searching for something, _anything_. Through the glow of the Negacion, she saw so much pain in there. As the ground broke and began to lift him into the sky, she continued to hold his gaze, and saw how much he wanted to break free of the beam and come back to her. But for reasons that Hinamori could not fathom, he did not.

She ignored the conversations occurring with the other two departing captains; her eyes were only on Tōshirō's retreating figure.

When the three were safe in the hands of the Menos Grande, and the sky closed up to its natural state again, she broke down and cried.

* * *

Rangiku got to the Hill just in time to see Aizen and his fellow traitors disappear into the Garganta.

But her attention was diverted to the fallen form of her husband.

"Gin!"

She rushed to his side, checking for any response, and desperately hoping that he still breathed.

It seemed to her that she had only gotten there when medics from the Fourth gently pushed her aside and began their work to save the captain.

"Is he going to be all right?" Rangiku asked the healers.

"We'll do our best," one of them answered. "And please, stay back and don't distract us."

Forcing herself to restrain a more emotional outburst, she nodded and complied.

Looking at the bloody figure of her husband on the ground, Rangiku suddenly realized how much the thought of Gin dying scared her. Despite their decades of marriage, she had never truly worried about her husband's life. He had always seemed untouchable, the way he fought his enemies. Even the stronger ones he encountered he seemed to dispose of with ease, relying on his wits as much as his strength. Like the foxes of legends, it always seemed like Gin could outthink any opponent.

For the first time, her worst nightmare of Gin dying threatened to come to life, and in her terror, Rangiku cried.

* * *

**Author's Note:** If you don't hear from me, it's because I'm in my bunker hiding from all the Hitsugaya fans.

When I first plotted out this story, I knew from the beginning that Aizen should have two Dragons (AKA, "lieutenants" for those of you unfamiliar with TV Tropes), just as he did in canon. Since it isn't Gin in this timeline, I figured that the best replacement would be Hitsugaya, because they share several similarities in the series. They're both prodigies, they have a reptilian motif for their zanpakutō, they have a childhood friend they would go to any lengths to protect, and they both _**hate**_ Aizen. Remember in the battle over fake Karakura Town, when Hitsugaya said that he did not care if he lost his captaincy, as long as he killed Aizen? That's essentially what Gin did.

Finally, a question: when did you figure out that Hitsugaya was the traitor? Was it when:

Ichimaru did not become a follower of Aizen (Oh come on, _really_?).

Hitsugaya was shown to be a lot less friendly than in canon.

Rangiku was nervous around Hitsugaya.

Hitsugaya showed up when Aizen's "body" was discovered instead of Gin.

There was no note was left behind framing Hitsugaya.

Hitsugaya was completely silent during Gin's conversation with Aizen on Sōkyoku Hill.

Hitsugaya did nothing while Gin and Komamura fought Aizen.

Hitsugaya attacked Nanao/Aizen revealed it.

Other (please state moment).

Funny story: partway through writing this, I came across a oneshot AU where Ichimaru was not a traitor, and went on to explain his acts during the Soul Society Arc from his POV. It was published in _2005_, obviously long before we knew of Gin's true motives, yet the author still managed to get his character spot-on. If you're interested, it's called "Ain't No Mercy," by incandescens. Part of the reason why I'm mentioning this is because I don't want people accusing me of plagiarizing; all the main points of my story were already plotted out when I read it.

Thanks to following people for reviews: **Juliedoo**, **PaintTheAlienPink**, **TykkiMikk**, **The Lord of War**, and Raven's Shadow

* * *

**Omake: Shinigami Illustrated Guide**

"Uh, excuse me," Nanao called out politely from her frozen cage. "But it is rather cold in here, so could someone let me out?"

Kyōraku and Ukitake examined the icy dragon curled up around the former's lieutenant.

"Think we should just shatter it?" Kyōraku asked.

"But what if the sharp edges cut her?" Ukitake pointed out.

"Well, whatever you're going to do, please do it soon before I get frostbite!"

"Hmm," Kyōraku let out thoughtfully, then turned behind him and hollered, "Yama-jii!"

Yamamoto silently looked at his eldest pupil.

"Mind giving Nanao-chan a hand here?"

"I don't want to trouble Yamamoto-sōtaichō…" the lieutenant started, but then stopped as the old dragon moved his gaze towards her. If her cage had allowed her, she would have sunk to her knees with the power of that look. She was so focused on the strength of his spiritual pressure that she didn't feel the ice melting around her until Kyōraku had scooped her up in his arms.

"Thanks, Yama-jii!" Soul Society's Biggest Dandy said cheerfully before turning back to Nanao. "Now let's get you out of those wet clothes."

"I can change myself, thank you!" she barked as she jumped out of his arms.


	7. Aftermath

It seems like most people realized Hitsugaya was the third traitor (or at least started suspecting) when they saw his colder attitude and how Rangiku acted uneasy around him.

* * *

"How do you feel, Hinamori-kun?"

"It still hurts."

Unohana settled back in her seat to regard the diminutive lieutenant closely. "That's understandable. I know that you admired Aizen, so I imagine that you have some mixed feelings about the situation."

On the day following the departure of the three renegade captains, Unohana had begun interviewing the people closest to the traitors, to ensure that they were still mentally able to perform their duties. Out of her patients, the one she had worried about the most was Hinamori. Not only was her beloved captain in reality a sociopathic villain, the girl was hit doubly by the fact that her oldest friend was also one of the traitors. Externally, she was handling it fine, but the ancient medic knew that Hinamori's inner thoughts would still be a tempest of confusion and turmoil.

"It's strange, but after the first pain of realizing the truth, it didn't really hurt," Hinamori said. "Right now, it's Tōshirō leaving me that I'm more upset about."

"You were close to them both. Why does Hitsugaya's betrayal hurt more than Aizen's?"

"I'm not quite sure," she answered, but paused as if to gather her thoughts. Unohana waited patiently, sensing that the girl was trying to figure it out for herself. "When I first heard Isane-san's message, I didn't believe it. I couldn't accept that my Aizen-taichō would do such a thing. But I had to make sure. I got to the hill as fast as I could, and I got there just as Aizen-taichō was talking about how he killed the Central Forty-Six, and how he was going to kill Rukia-san, and I saw him _put his fist in her chest!_" Her rant became faster paced and her breathing more ragged. "She was still alive, but Aizen-taichō didn't even look like he cared! He wasn't glad that she didn't need to die! He ordered _Tōshirō_ to kill her! _And he obeyed him_! Why would he do that?"

"Hinamori-kun, please calm yourself," Unohana interjected. "Take some deep breaths and then continue."

The girl obeyed, taking a few moments to settle down with steady regulated respirations.

"It's my fault," she finally said. "I should have done something to stop Aizen-taichō before he tried to kill Rukia-san, but I just couldn't move; I couldn't believe the words that were coming from his mouth, I couldn't _think_, and _I couldn't move_!"

"It wouldn't have mattered," Unohana assured her. "Aizen had already defeated three captain-class fighters by the time you had arrived. Any attempt on your part would have resulted in similar injuries to you, if not death."

"Still, I should have done _something!_"

"Hinamori-kun, in that instance, you were right in keeping your distance," Unohana said firmly.

The lieutenant did not seem to accept the healer's words, but did not argue the point anymore.

"The worst part was hearing him speak," Hinamori resumed her thoughts softly. "Aizen-taichō's voice always sounded so soothing. Even when I saw him fight Hollows and give orders, his tone was firm, but always gentle. When I heard him speak on that hill, he sounded _nothing_ like the man I knew. Aizen-taichō was warm and understanding; that _creature_ I heard on the hill was cold and cruel. It was as if someone had taken my captain out of his body and replaced him with a monster. It was when I heard him talk that I realized that the Aizen-taichō I knew was dead."

She stopped for a moment, feeling more sobs coming onto her.

Noting this, her counselor leaned forward to place a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You can let it all out in here, Hinamori-kun," Unohana said gently.

This permission was all it took. Her patient spent the next few minutes letting the tears flow, before regaining her composure. Unohana poured a cup of water for her, and let the girl rehydrate herself before speaking again.

"The only thing that's stopping me from going completely insane is Tōshirō," Hinamori resumed. "Because when I saw and heard Aizen-taichō, he had changed into a completely different person. But when I saw Tōshirō, he was exactly the same as always. He acted so cold towards others, but when he looked at me…"

She sighed and took a breath before continuing.

"When I held my sword at his neck, he turned around and looked at me. I saw the same Tōshirō that I had always known since we were kids. When I watched him go away in the Negacion, I saw in his eyes how much he hated to leave me. I don't know why he thought he had to go, but he did."

A shuddering breath interrupted her ramblings before she blurted out, "It's my fault!"

"You are not to blame for Hitsugaya's actions, Hinamori-kun."

"I convinced him to join the Fifth Division! I loved it there and I loved Aizen-taichō, and I wanted Tōshirō to be there, too! He finally gave in to my begging and joined and became lieutenant! Aizen-taichō must have lied to him or manipulated him or something into thinking he was doing the right thing by leaving! If I hadn't been so clingy to him, he would've joined another division and he wouldn't have joined Aizen-taichō!"

"As was proven with Tōsen," Unohana pointed out, "separation by division would not have prevented Hitsugaya from joining Aizen. You are not to blame for his betrayal."

The first part of her statement was not completely true; while Tōsen had been with the Ninth for well over a hundred years, his first division out of the Academy had been the Fifth. But Unohana decided that Hinamori did not need to know that at this time. Right now, the girl was not thinking clearly, and would look for any excuse to blame herself, no matter how illogical.

Hinamori was quiet for a moment, and then spoke with a firmness that almost took the captain by surprise.

"I'm going to save him."

"What do you mean?"

"Tōshirō. I know that there's hope for him. The next time we meet, I will make him understand that he doesn't need to fight for Aizen. I will make him understand that he can come back."

Unohana knew it would be pointless to contradict the young girl on this. She had heard a similar oath from Hisagi and Komamura concerning Tōsen, so Hinamori's words were not unexpected. What did worry the healer was the fact that the girl may not accept that she would most likely be forced to take lethal action against her friend (or, considering the power difference between the two, he might just kill her). And even if Hitsugaya chose to return, he most likely would be imprisoned for treason, if not executed. But that discussion could wait for another time.

"Hinamori-kun, I think that's enough for today," she finally said. "I believe that you should take a full week's rest."

"But, what about the Fifth…?"

"Your Third Seat can handle the duties for one week. It is more important that you have some time to relax, clear your head, and most importantly, spend time with your friends. Next week at the same time, we will talk again."

Hinamori looked like she wanted to argue, but wisely decided against it.

"All right, Unohana-taichō," she finally agreed, and got up to leave.

"One more thing, Hinamori-kun," said Unohana. "Be mindful of how you add suffixes to Aizen's name now; he is no longer a captain."

Hinamori froze. She had not even realized that she had still been keeping the honorific to Aizen's name.

"Of course, Unohana-taichō," she replied, and rushed out of the room before the lady could stop her again.

* * *

_Fireworks exploded from the west on the evening of December 20. The three intended witnesses of these illuminations were on the rooftops of the Fifth Division's training grounds. Captain Aizen was sitting comfortably on the roof, his legs stretched out in front of him. Directly to his right was his lieutenant Hitsugaya. Unlike the captain, he still seemed to sit stiffly with his knees up, as if he did not know how to relax on his birthday. Third in the line was Third Seat Hinamori, the only one of the three who had to have a blanket wrapped around her to keep warm._

_Hinamori glanced shyly at the two men next to her. Captain Aizen was her hero, and Tōshirō was her best friend. She knew that people who joined from the Rukongai were not always able to stay with their friends, and so grew more distant over time. She was glad that had not happened with her and Tōshirō._

_The fireworks display reached their finale, and the white-haired lieutenant finally spoke, "Thank you, Aizen."_

_The captain smiled warmly in return. It had bothered Hinamori at first that her friend never added honorifics to his superior's name, but Aizen never seemed to mind. _

_After a moment, Tōshirō then said in a quieter voice, "Thank you, Hinamori."_

_His childhood companion beamed back at him._

_Now, she barely even noticed the lack of suffixes which might be misconstrued as disrespect. After all, the three of them were good as family._

* * *

Rangiku stood by her husband's bed, simply looking at his unconscious form. Even though the healers told her that Gin would make a full recovery in no time at all, she still did not like the sight of him on a cot in the Fourth.

She reached forward and gently held his hand. At least it was warm, a sign that he was not close to death.

Honestly, Rangiku didn't know what she would do without Gin. He had been part of her life for as long as her memory was worth recalling. He had been the one to save her from starvation in the Rukongai, and continued to look after her until they both joined the Shin'o Academy. After they officially became shinigami, things changed, but not in a bad way; Gin stopped being her caretaker. Instead, he became her teacher, and gave her lessons on survival. Those lessons were neither gentle nor kind, but in the long run, Rangiku was grateful he had taught them to her.

He always been her friend, and then so much more to her. He was now her husband, the center of her world, and she did not know what she would do if he were removed from her life.

No, she _did_ know; she would survive. She knew that Gin had been training her and preparing her for the possibility that he might die before her. If such a thing ever occurred, Rangiku would live on as best as she knew how, just like Gin would want her to.

"Rangiku-san?"

The lieutenant turned around and saw Isane standing in the doorway, a look of concern and sympathy in her eyes.

"I'm here to check on your husband's condition," the healer explained gently.

Rangiku nodded, and moved aside so the tall medic could do her job.

"It's weird seeing him like this," the lieutenant of the Third admitted to her peer. "Despite all the fighting Gin's been through, I've never seen him emerge from a battle with anything more than a few bruises and scratches. This is the first time I've really worried that he might get killed in a fight."

Isane sent her friend a sympathetic look. "It's always scary after the first brush with death. Once we get into the upper seated ranks, we get confident of our power, and we start to feel as if we are invincible."

"I always knew the risk was there," Rangiku said.

"But it was never really reality for you, was it?"

"No," the strawberry-blonde woman admitted softly.

"Anyway, it looks like Ichimaru-taichō is recovering well," Isane changed the subject with the hope of brightening the other woman's mood, and she started a session of kaidō by placing her hands over the captain's back and letting the green glow do its work. "His wounds are healing quickly, and…"

A line appeared between her eyebrows as she frowned in confusion.

"That's strange," she noted. "It feels like he's already awake."

A weak chuckle reached their ears.

"Guess I've been found out," Gin murmured as a familiar smile returned to his face.

"Gin!" Rangiku exclaimed excitedly, happy at seeing her husband conscious. But any relief she felt was overshadowed by annoyance. "How long have you been awake?"

"When ya started holdin' my hand," he answered. "I thought it was so nice to have a beautiful woman holdin' my hand that I didn't wanna ruin the moment."

Rangiku narrowed her eyes at him and growled, "Flattery won't help you here, buster. As soon as you're out of the Fourth, I am going to punch you right back in for worrying me like that!"

"But I feel so weak," Gin lamented. "I don't think I'll be able to leave fer a while."

"From the looks of things, you should be cleared to go later today," Isane informed him. "Tomorrow at the latest, though I do recommend you take it easy for a while."

"Yer not helpin'," he complained as he noticed the violent look in his wife's eyes, and then not-so-subtly changed the subject. "So what happened? Did we win?"

"Not really," Rangiku chose to humor him for the time being, and proceeded to inform him of the events on Sōkyoku Hill after he had been defeated.

"So Hitsugaya was workin' fer Aizen?" Gin asked. "Thought so."

"You mean you knew?" Rangiku asked in surprise.

"I started suspectin' when he didn't say nothin' while I was chattin' with Aizen, an' I didn't know fer sure 'til Komamura showed up," he admitted. "He wasn't helpin' out when Komamura an' I were fightin', so I figured he was probably workin' fer the other side. Makes sense, though, since Hitsugaya used to be Aizen's lieutenant, 'fore he became captain."

"We're lucky no one died," Isane said. "You were among the most critically injured, Ichimaru-taichō."

"It ain't lucky fer me."

"Considering you're in the Fourth Division instead of the next life, I consider that better odds than getting a smile out of Kuchiki-taichō," Rangiku corrected him.

"I suppose so," Gin conceded.

* * *

"Kira-kun, how are you feeling?" Unohana asked.

"As well as anyone would feel after having their captain abandon them," he responded dryly.

"Do you blame yourself for what happened?"

"Some," he admitted. "I feel like I should have figured it out sooner, that Hitsugaya was working against Soul Society."

"Did you ever have any suspicion that he was a traitor?"

"No," Kira sighed. "Hitsugaya was always cold, but he was an efficient captain. He was not close to any of us, except for Hinamori-kun, but he still treated us right. I don't know if it's accurate to say that we actually liked him, but he was definitely well-respected in our division. Now, I can't help but wonder how much of it was an act; how much of his behavior was really because he was genuinely looking out for us, and how much was because he needed to keep up his appearance of being a good captain."

"And now what?"

Kira exhaled slowly, organizing his thoughts. "What else am I supposed to do? I must continue my duties as a lieutenant. With Hitsugaya gone, the Tenth needs me now more than ever."

"After at least three days off."

"Unohana-taichō?"

"You need a few days off to relieve some of the mental stress caused by departure of your captain; I have already told the same to Hinamori-kun."

Kira sighed, but gave a nod to show his obedience.

"That will be all for now," Unohana instructed. "Come back three days from now, before you return to your duties."

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

True to Isane's word, Gin had been cleared to leave later that afternoon, not long before sundown, with instructions to take it easy and not participate in strenuous activity. Now he and Rangiku were on their way to the exit.

"It's nice to be outta the Fourth," the smiling captain said. "No offense to Unohana-taichō, but it's borin' to be layin' in a bed all day."

"You should have thought of that before you almost got yourself killed," Rangiku scolded. "Which reminds me…"

WHAM!

Gin's head rocked back, but his face emerged unscathed. Even though he was still recovering his reiatsu, he still had enough to shield himself from his wife's fist.

"Aya, Rangiku," he said playfully. "Ya didn't need to do-!"

His wife was one of the few people who could succeed in surprising Gin, which was one of the reasons why he loved her. And she was giving a very nice surprise by grabbing the front of his shihakusho and pulling him into a fierce kiss.

After she had pulled away with a gasp, the fox sported a very happy grin on his face.

"Hmm, maybe I should get almost-killed more often," he said thoughtfully, and then snapped his fingers as an idea occurred to him. "I know! I'll take a trip to Hueco Mundo, and then I'll get Aizen to cut me down again!"

"Oh, no you don't!" Rangiku countered as she gripped his hand and dragged him along. "You are coming with me back to our room!"

"Well, if ya insist," he grinned with feigned resignation. It looked like he was going to have to ignore that bit about avoiding strenuous activity.

* * *

Rangiku entered the Tenth Division late in the afternoon, noting that she no longer got the chills just by walking into area. She had been up most of the night with Gin eagerly and willfully disobeying the "avoid strenuous activity" directive, and so she had slept late. Now that she was awake, it was her intention to visit her friends from the Fifth, Ninth, and Tenth and help them cope with the recent betrayal.

Despite her dislike of Hitsugaya, she still considered Kira to be a good friend, back when he had been a member of the Third. It had been sad to see him go and take the position of lieutenant in the Tenth, but she was always glad to see him in the vice-captain meetings. In some ways, Kira remained an honorary member of the Third, even if he was now the acting captain of that division.

With his captain gone and the Tenth's morale broken, Rangiku decided that Kira needed something to forget his troubles for a couple of days.

* * *

Kira had long lost count of the amount of sake he had imbibed, only knowing that it could be described as "a lot." All thanks to one Ichimaru Rangiku.

He had been depressed after the departure of Hitsugaya, and after his psychological interview with Unohana, he eagerly took the healer's advice to relax. It was while he was settling down in his barracks the day after his interview with Unohana when bubbly blonde found him and suggested they share a drink.

Kira agreed to one saucer, but then one turned into two, two became four, and somewhere along the way, those numbers began to jumble up. Also somewhere after his fourth jug of sake, Hisagi had joined in on their commiseration.

He drank to forget, for the moment, about how he had admired his captain. He drank to forget that Soul Society had been changed forever. He drank to forget how much the betrayal hurt.

* * *

Hinamori had heard that Kira had finished his session with Unohana, so she set out to find him.

Besides taking up the healer's advice to spend time with friends, she wanted to talk to the Tenth Division lieutenant about something.

It had never escaped her attention that she was not the strongest lieutenant in the Gotei 13; that honor probably resided with Renji, now that he had attained Bankai. To be quite honest, her reiatsu levels were mediocre compared to others of her rank. She knew that Aizen would make his move eventually, and the Thirteen Divisions had to be ready for his next move. The purpose of this visit was to talk with Kira so she could arrange training sessions with him; out of the lieutenants, he was her only equal in kidō, but was her superior in zanjutsu. By sparring with Kira, Hinamori hoped to increase her kidō abilities while also bringing her skills with the sword up to snuff.

But first she had to find him and let him know about her thoughts. She detected his reiatsu in the Tenth Division and closed in on it.

It came as no great surprise to walk in on a heavily drunk Kira with Hisagi and Rangiku. She was quite shocked, however, at the… state of undress the men were in.

"Kira-kun! Hisagi-san!" she cried out, her face heating up with embarrassment. While she did not have romantic interest in either man, the fact remained that they were both attractive and _healthy_ examples of their gender.

"Hinamori-kun…?" Kira groaned, his voice muffled from where he lay face down on the floor.

"Help…" Hisagi moaned pitifully.

"Never mind," she averted her eyes and backed away. "I'll come back later."

"There ya are, Rangiku."

Hinamori turned around and saw Captain Ichimaru standing in the doorway with an amused expression at the sight of his drunken wife.

"Gin," the well-endowed woman sang with a slight slur. "Ya were lookin' fer me?"

One of the tell-tale signs that Rangiku had entered a deep state of inebriation was her words started to take on her husband's accent, a feat that was somehow simultaneously amusing, adorable, and creepy.

"Just wonderin' where ya were is all," Ichimaru said.

"That's so sweet o' ya!" Rangiku gushed.

Hinamori cringed. "Sweet" was an adjective she would _never_ use to describe Ichimaru Gin, unless there was a heavily emphasized "_**not**_" in front of it.

"Havin' fun?" Ichimaru asked.

"It's not really fun," the lieutenant of the Third slurred. "Poor Kira an' Shūhei were depressed over their captains leavin', so I decided to comfort 'em a bit. Sake works wonders, ne?"

"Yep," the mirthful menace to life and limb affirmed. Although Hinamori could not tell whether he truly agreed with his wife on that point, or was just humoring her. While there were plenty of rumors as to the questionable existence of his sanity, she had no confirmation either way as to his drinking habits.

Ichimaru getting drunk… now _there_ was a frightening thought.

The Fifth Division lieutenant started walking out the door, but she froze when she heard the captain say, "Where do ya think yer goin', Hinamori-chan?"

She quickly turned to her superior and bowed, "My apologies, Ichimaru-taichō. I didn't know you needed something from me."

"S'all right," he chuckled. "I don't really need anythin'; just wanted to talk a lil' with ya."

"About what?" she asked as she stood up straight again.

"Well, watcha doin' here?"

"I was looking for Kira-kun, sir."

"What fer?"

Hinamori hesitated, wondering how much she could get away with revealing. While she was good friends with Rangiku, she had not formed any such bonds with her husband, and so she was not entirely comfortable voicing her insecurities to him.

"I just wanted to talk with him about training," she finally said. "Now that we're at war with Aizen-ta- I mean, Aizen, we should be working to get stronger."

"Good thinkin'," Ichimaru complimented, either not noticing her near-slip-up, or choosing not to comment on it. "Though that ain't the only reason ya wanna get stronger, is it?"

She looked down and to the left, unsettled at how easily he read her.

"Ya wanna have Hitsugaya back, don't ya?"

"Yes," she answered quietly.

"Ya wanna tie him up an' slap him silly fer leavin' ya like that, ne?"

Hinamori swore she could hear Tobiume vehemently agreeing with that statement, but out loud she quietly murmured, "I wouldn't put it that way…"

"Well, best o' luck to ya."

"Ichimaru-taichō?" she blinked in confusion.

"Ya heard me," the captain said, and walked past her to where his wife was still lying on the ground, barely conscious. With gentleness Hinamori would not have expected of him, Ichimaru bent over and picked his other half up in his arms. "An' it's time fer ya to get home, Rangiku."

"'Kay," she giggled, and snuggled into her husband's chest.

Hinamori blushed a little at the scene and averted her eyes, feeling a trifle voyeuristic.

"Oh, an' before I forget," Ichimaru said as he faced her. "After Aizen was found dead, Hitsugaya came to me told me 'bout yer breakdown."

She frowned at the knowledge that Tōshirō would tell something like that to someone else, even if it was hardly a secret. But before she could complain, the captain continued.

"He told me that if I was responsible fer makin' ya cry, he'd kill me."

She blinked, and furrowed her eyebrows.

"But surely he knew that Aizen wasn't really dead," Hinamori said.

"Exactly," Ichimaru nodded. "My guess is that Hitsugaya was askin' me in his own special way to look out fer ya while he was gone."

The brunette's eyes bulged at the new information, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh or cry. Even now, that overprotective, caring idiot was trying to keep her safe.

"Why did he ask you?" Hinamori inquired.

"Who knows?" he shrugged. "Maybe no one else would've picked up on his request. In any case, I've decided to oblige him."

"What do you mean?" she asked nervously.

"It means I'll be helpin' ya get stronger," Ichimaru informed her.

"I-I don't want to be a bother…" Hinamori whimpered.

"It's no bother," Ichimaru assured her. "Even if I wasn't doin' it fer Hitsugaya, I'd be doin' it 'cause yer a good friend of Rangiku."

She inwardly groaned at the realization that she had the trickster captain as her new sensei.

"See ya 'round," the fox said as he walked out of the room with a very happy woman in his arms. He threw a "Bye-bye" to the barely conscious male lieutenants lying on the floor. They just managed to groan out an indiscernible response.

Momo sighed. Every time she spoke with that man, she came out of the conversation with a different opinion of him. She should probably start a list of adjectives she had attributed to him over the years: creepy, predatory, mischievous, weird, playful, scary, kind, cruel, loving, and even wise on occasion (but **not** sweet; _**never**_ sweet).

She shook her head, and decided to head to the library. Some reading would definitely be a relaxing experience for her. Maybe she could also look up some new techniques for her to try in battle.

* * *

Renji honed on the reiatsu signature he had come to truly recognize only recently. After leaving Captain Kuchiki to rest, the Sixth Division lieutenant sought out someone else he needed to have a little chat with. Which was funny, because it was the one person Renji had never predicted to having an active interest in.

"Sasakibe-san!"

The old lieutenant stopped and looked at his approaching ally.

"Ah, Abarai-san, how are your wounds?" he asked.

"I'm all healed up," Renji answered. "Which is why I'm here: I want a rematch."

Sasakibe blinked in confusion, and then asked, "I beg your pardon?"

The redhead looked at him as if he were a few asauchi short of an Academy armory. "Don't you remember when we fought last time?"

"Yes," he answered cautiously. "I'm sorry, but I thought there weren't any ill feelings."

"There aren't!" Renji rushed to say. "But now that I've recovered from my wounds, I just want to show you that you were lucky you didn't face me at full strength."

"Then I will continue to count myself lucky," Sasakibe replied. "I must decline your invitation."

"Oh? Afraid to lose, are you?"

"Childish taunts do not work on me."

"Oh, come on, let's have one spar; just one, that's all I'm asking."

Sasakibe gave a sigh of resignation, and acceded, "Very well, if it means so much to you, I'll meet you in the Sixth Division training grounds tomorrow after I've completed my duties for the day. Is that acceptable?"

Renji nodded and grinned ferociously. "I'll see you then."

* * *

"Hello there, Rukia-chan."

Rukia froze involuntarily at the sound of that unmistakable voice. Despite the fact that he had helped save her life, there was still something about Ichimaru that set her off. Admittedly, in a similar way she no longer feared Byakuya now that she knew he cared for her as a sister, Rukia's uneasiness around Ichimaru had lessened with the knowledge that he had risked his life to help save her.

However, the difference was that she now knew her brother's feelings and reasons, while she was still completely in the dark as to Ichimaru's motives. As such, Rukia would remain cautious around this sly man.

"Greetings, Ichimaru-taichō," she responded politely, and mentally noted that she no longer had to force manners upon herself for a conversation with him.

"How ya doin'?" he asked. "I heard ya got cleared o' all yer charges."

"Yes," Rukia confirmed.

"That's good," Ichimaru said. "I was a lil' worried that Yamamoto would at least give ya a slap on the wrist fer givin' powers to a human."

"Apparently, Yamamoto-sōtaichō thought that all decisions made by the Central Forty-Six after Aizen took over were to be declared null and void," Rukia said, "including the crimes they passed judgment over."

"Mighty generous o' him," Ichimaru commented.

"I suppose."

"Ya don't sound too happy fer someone who just got pardoned."

She did not answer.

"Got a lot on yer mind, huh?" Ichimaru guessed correctly, to Rukia's annoyance. "I don't blame ya; I heard 'bout the story yer brother finally told ya."

Again, she declined to respond to his comment.

"It is a nice lil' tale," Ichimaru continued casually. "A poor girl, in a moment o' weakness, leaves her baby sister to die so she can survive. The poor, guilt-ridden girl finds happiness in the arms of a noble, who saves her from a life of poverty by marrying her. And after fair maiden dies, the noble takes it upon himself to find the long-lost sister. He succeeds, an' happy endings are all 'round, jus' the way I like it."

Unsure of how to respond, Rukia continued to keep her silence.

"However," Ichimaru said after a mildly dramatic pause. "There's jus' one thing's that's botherin' me; a plot hole, ya might say. Yer sister abandoned ya in the Seventy-Eighth District, Inuzuri, am I right?"

"I have forgiven her for that," Rukia finally said, a cold edge sliding into her voice. "So, please, do not try to rile me up by mentioning it."

"Oh, I ain't referrin' to that part," the hungry fox casually assured her. "I was jus' wonderin' how a helpless baby survived in one o' the wildest and most dangerous districts o' the Rukongai."

The girl blinked. Now that he mentioned it, how _had_ she survived? Before joining up with Renji, she had always been alone.

"Perhaps someone else took care of me," she suggested uncertainly.

"So what happened to 'em?" Ichimaru asked. "Ya'd think that if they put that much work into savin' ya in such a hostile area, they'd stick 'round to make sure their efforts didn't go to waste."

"I don't know," she said. "Maybe they got killed themselves, and by that time I was old enough to fend for myself."

"Then how 'come ya don't remember 'em?"

This conversation was fast becoming disturbing. "I don't know."

"Well, if ya think o' the answer, make sure to come an' tell me, ne?" he grinned, and then gave her a pat on the head. "Now I gotta get goin'; Rangiku wants me home by dinnertime. Wanna join us?"

Rukia idly realized that she did not have to repress a shudder at the invitation. She had lowered her guard around him more than she thought.

"Thank you for the offer, but I must decline," she answered. "I will be spending time with Nii-sama."

"Good fer ya," Ichimaru grinned. "Make sure to milk every ounce of brotherly love outta him."

With that the captain casually walked away without so much as a goodbye, as though he had already forgotten their conversation. For her part Rukia gave a shake of her head. One thing at least hadn't changed: that man always left her feeling deeply perplexed.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Okay, so next chapter, I'll be starting on the Bount Arc.

…Uso!

Don't worry, none of the filler arcs will be featured as part of the main storyline, although I may be doing a separate short fic or a bonus chapter set during the Zanpakutō Rebellion, with Gin facing Shinsō.

As I put in author's note in my oneshot "Closure," I think a major part of the reason Hinamori took so long to get over Aizen in canon was because she never confronted him for herself to confirm the truth. Here, she hears Aizen's intentions from his own mouth, and while this shakes her up badly, it means that she'll be able to recover faster.

There's also another factor in place. Aizen is a master manipulator, and Hinamori spent decades in his service. In canon, Aizen molded Hinamori into becoming so dependent on him that she would break if he left her. In this timeline, he does not warp her mind quite as much. Why not? Think about it: in canon, Aizen's plans never deliberately place Rangiku in danger. Yes, she participates in battles, but that's only to be expected. Aizen himself never lays a finger on her. It's most certainly because he knows about Gin's feelings towards her, and he does not want a certain snake to kill him. In this timeline, with Hitsugaya on his side, he makes sure that Hinamori has mental constitution enough to cope with him leaving.

Thank you for the reviews: **AKissAndAGunshot**, **Juliedoo**, **ImSeriousBro**, Raven's Shadow, and anonymous guests.

* * *

**Omake: Shinigami Illustrated Guide**

"Hey, look who's up and about," Kyōraku greeted warmly as he and Nanao saw Gin approach them on the Eighth Division's grounds. "Unohana-taichō cleared you?"

"Yep, yesterday," Gin answered. "Jus' came by to see how everyone was doin' here. Oh, an' I had somethin' to say to Nanao-chan."

"I have something that should be said as well," the lieutenant in question replied. "I apologize for the unfair accusations I leveled against you in our last meeting."

"Funny, that's related to what I wanted to talk to ya 'bout," the silver fox said.

"It is?" she blinked.

"Yeah, you were actually on the right track. I got a confession," Gin said. "Ya were right."

"What do you mean?"

"I tried to kill Aizen."

Nanao gave him a very flat look, while Kyōraku hid his smile behind his hat.

"But I wasn't actin' alone," Gin continued with his smile on its Mischievous setting. "Komamura-taichō was my accomplice in this nefarious attempted murder."

Nanao's eyes became narrower and narrower as her former lieutenant continued on. If you listened carefully, you could hear her teeth grinding together. As for Kyōraku, his shoulders shook more and more as he did his best to keep from bursting out laughing.

"But Aizen was a slippery eel, an' he got away."

After she was certain he was finished, she informed the trickster, "You are _not_ as funny as you think you are."

"Yes, I am."


	8. Level Up

Hinamori finally managed to catch Kira while he was sober, working in his office at the Third. It didn't take much convincing at all to get him to agree to be her sparring partner. Perhaps he was simply being kind, knowing what she had been through lately.

And so, later that afternoon, Kira arrived at the woods around Sōkyoku Hill to find Hinamori sitting in a meditative pose with drawn sword over her knees. Since he didn't know how long she was going to be in her inner world, he settled down and waited for her to awaken.

He had only been sitting a couple of minutes when the girl's eyes fluttered open, and she looked over at him. "Hi, Kira-kun," Hinamori smiled good-naturedly as she stood up and sheathed Tobiume, she continued, "I hope I didn't keep you waiting long."

"You didn't," he assured her as he got to his feet, and then asked, "What type of training were you thinking about?"

"Mostly on my zanjustu, and also to see if I could refine my kidō," Hinamori answered, and then hesitated before declaring, "And I'm going to start Bankai training."

"There's no way you'll be able to finish by the time we go to war with Aizen," Kira warned her.

"Maybe," she admitted. "But even if I don't get the second release, training myself on that path will get me stronger all the same."

"True."

"Maybe you should start Bankai training as well."

"Might be a good idea," Kira agreed. "I wonder who we should ask to teach us."

"You could ask Gin."

"Why would Ichimaru-tai-!"

Kira paused as he realized that Hinamori was not the one who made the suggestion.

The two friends belatedly jumped in surprise and turned towards the two top Third Division officers who had snuck up behind them.

"Would you stop doing that?!" the willowy girl hissed.

"Gin, you're right," Rangiku smirked. "This _is_ fun."

"Why would Ichimaru-taichō wish to teach us?" Kira chose to ignore the "sneaking up on lieutenants" part and finished his prior question.

"Rangiku has also been takin' Bankai trainin'," the captain answered. "An' I knew ya an' Hinamori were talkin' 'bout doin' the same, so we chewed it over an' decided to help out."

"Why?" Hinamori asked. "I mean, we would be grateful for your lessons, but I didn't know you had taken an interest in us."

"Jus' 'cause yer friends o' Rangiku," Ichimaru shrugged. "If that ain't enough fer ya, then look at it this way: if all three o' ya get Bankai, then that'll look very good on my record as a captain. Haven't even worn this haori for a century, an' already I've trained three students to captain-class status."

"He doesn't care about his record," his wife assured them. "He is doing this because I asked him to."

"But it would still make great braggin' material," Ichimaru continued.

Kira and Hinamori looked at each other and both bowed to the captain.

"We would be honored if you would aid us in our lessons," Kira said solemnly.

"All right, if ya really wanna know Bankai," Ichimaru started, "first ya gotta learn how to fight."

"We know that already!" Hinamori protested.

"No, ya just know where to swing yer sword. I'm talkin' 'bout actually usin' yer head when yer fightin'.

"First an' most important lesson: everythin's fair game," Ichimaru started off. "All those stories ya heard 'bout heroes fightin' honorably an' playin' fair are all a bunch o' hooey. If winnin' means stabbin' someone in the back, ya do it. If it means kickin' 'em while they're down, do it. If ya gotta play dead to get 'em to let their guard down, _do it_."

"'Strike where the enemy is weak,'" Hinamori recited.

"That's right. Since ya got the basic idea down, I guess yer ready to put it into practice."

One moment, Ichimaru was standing calmly in front of them.

The next, he was falling upon Hinamori with his zanpakutō drawn and raised high, ready to come down and cleave her in two.

* * *

Renji faced his opponent from the opposite side of the training arena.

"Ready?" he asked challengingly with Zabimaru held out in front of him, yet to be released.

"Yes," Sasakibe answered simply, his own zanpakutō held up with one hand in front of his face.

"Howl, Zabimaru!"

"Pierce, Gonryōmaru!"

Just like in their first confrontation, Renji made a standard swing of his long, whip-like sword at his opponent. He knew that it most certainly would not score a hit, but he wanted to test how Sasakibe would respond. And just like in their last clash, the elder fighter parried the blade to the side. But this time, the counterattack was not in the form of kidō. He disappeared in a buzz of shunpo, and suddenly reappeared right in front of Renji with his rapier thrust forward.

Now that he was up at full power, Renji could follow Sasakibe's movements. Even so, the fencer was quick; while Renji just managed to sidestep the blade just in time, he still received a scratch across his chest. He flash-stepped to a good distance away and held a hand to the wound.

"First blood to me," Sasakibe announced.

"I've gotten cuts worse than this handling paperwork," Renji scoffed.

"Still counts," and he held up the point of his rapier to show the tip was now stained crimson.

"Well, that's the only blood your sword will get with in this fight," the spiky-haired warrior boasted, and swung Zabimaru once again.

Sasakibe sidestepped the attack, and attempted to thrust forward once more.

Renji took exception to that, and backed up outside of his opponent's range. Keeping his distance from his opponent would be the key to winning this battle.

"Everyone knows that if two warriors are of equal skill, then the sword with the longer reach wins," Renji said as he continued to move back and whip Zabimaru back and forth.

"There are two problems with that statement," Sasakibe replied as he countered each strike with deft movements of his rapier. "First is your assumption that we are of equal skill."

"Well, that's mighty big of you to admit," the cocky combatant taunted. "So what's the second problem?"

"What makes you think _your_ reach is longer?"

A glint of light on Sasakibe's zanpakutō was the only warning before a bolt of electricity crackled from the tip of his rapier and connected with Renji's chest. He fell back to the ground in a twitching heap as his senses were overloaded with electrical pulses. Managing to recover after a moment, he leapt back up to his feet to look at his opponent in disbelief.

Sasakibe was in a fencer's lunge position, his sword pointed directly at him, and he had a subtle but confident smirk on his face as he said, "Touché."

* * *

Hinamori's eyes bulged, and she squeaked out a rather ignoble "EEP!" as she jumped to one side and narrowly escaping the blade that had threatened her with bifurcation. She tried to draw Tobiume, but another swing from Ichimaru prevented her from doing anything besides avoiding the sharp edge of the blade.

As she dodged each successive strike, Hinamori knew that Ichimaru was not trying to kill her. For one, it was highly improbable that he would murder a fellow shinigami in front of his wife. Second, she knew that a captain like Ichimaru could kill her in the time it took her to blink, if he actually wanted to. The fact that she could follow his movements meant that he was _letting_ her see him, indicating that his intent was to train her… harshly.

However, it was pretty hard to tell her brain that he wasn't out to kill her when that deceptively short sword of his was always within inches of slicing her open. That calm yet unnerving smile on his face did not help, either.

She needed to do something, anything to give her a second's moment to draw her zanpakutō.

She tried flash-stepping away, but Ichimaru was always right in front of her, not giving her an inch.

A desperate idea occurred to Hinamori. She ducked below the next swing and crouched with her hands and feet on the ground. With all her might, Hinamori jumped into the air, swung her foot up, and kicked a certain vulnerable part of Ichimaru's anatomy.

She grinned triumphantly as she saw Ichimaru drop his smile and raise his eyebrows in surprise, before she realized two very important things. First, she was still in midair, which meant that very shortly, she would be reuniting with the ground in a rough manner. Second and more urgently, the foot she had used to assault Ichimaru's groin was suddenly registering a _massive_ amount of pain.

True enough, Hinamori landed on the grass beneath her quite ungracefully, and she winced as her bottom hit the earth, but that was rather minor compared to the agony her foot was in.

"OW!" she cried helplessly, and brought her hands forward to gingerly massage her aching limb. It was as if she had launched her foot at the outer walls of the Seireitei instead of what _should _have been the most vulnerable spot on Ichimaru's person. She could still move her toes, so that meant her foot was not broken, but that was little comfort right now.

The sound of uproarious laughter caught her attention, and Hinamori turned her head to see Rangiku as the source, bent over at the waist while holding her sides. Kira's expression of shocked horror would have made her laugh too, if she was not in so much pain at the moment. She imagined that if this was a manga from the world of the living, then Kira's jaw would be on the ground, and his visible eye would be the size of his head.

A soft series of chuckles redirected her attention back to her sparring partner, and for a moment, Hinamori was afraid Ichimaru would take advantage of her hapless position to attack. But apparently not; the captain was holding himself upright by leaning on a nearby tree. She realized it was not due to any injury; she knew that it was because Ichimaru found the whole thing as funny as his wife did. If Hinamori's kick had done any damage to him, it evidently did not do anything to diminish his humor.

"What do you have under those hakama?" she asked crankily.

She blushed belatedly at how that question sounded, and the feeling was reinforced by the sound of two lieutenants hitting the ground. A glance told her that Rangiku was now guffawing so hard that she had collapsed to the ground in tears. Kira had just fallen on his rear in shock.

She quickly looked back at Captain Ichimaru, and was only briefly afraid that he would be offended by her inquiry. She knew that as easygoing as Ichimaru was, such a question would likely only amuse him. As she saw his face, she knew she was right. Unfortunately.

Why was this unfortunate? Because as Hinamori saw the vulpine grin, a new and more terrifying prospect emerged: he would actually _answer her question_.

"I don't want to know!" she zipped her hands from her foot to her ears. A potentially broken foot would be a trifle compared to the damage her mind would undergo by whatever came out of the fox's mouth next. "Idon'twanttoknow! _Idon'twanttoknow!"_

* * *

The taunt was enough to snap Renji back into action, and he counterattacked with a swing of Zabimaru. While Sasakibe's zanpakutō ability was a shock (pun unintended), he was very far from admitting defeat. Besides, it was hardly the biggest surprise he had learned recently.

Sasakibe sidestepped the attack and pointed his blade at Renji again, who reflexively flash-stepped to a position to Sasakibe's left, and was immediately glad he had done so. Had that high-voltage attack struck the spot he had vacated only a second before, it might have been all over. All the same, a grin returned to his face. He may not be swift enough to dodge lightning, but he could move faster than his opponent could aim.

Renji decided to change tactics, and contracted his sword to its original length as he flash-stepped right in front of his opponent. He brought his saw-blade down, but Sasakibe had whipped his rapier to nudge the larger sword to the side and miss its target. Before Renji could try another swing, his sparring partner had already pointed the tip of his rapier at his torso, and a spark flew off the blade.

The shock was far less powerful than the first; it was barely more than the jolt one received upon touching an object charged with static electricity. Still, the lightning poke reminded informed Renji that if this had been a real fight, he would have been paralyzed for at least a few seconds, and then summarily killed. Close quarters combat was not as good an idea as he thought it would be, though it was a better strategy than fighting from a distance.

So where exactly did that leave him?

Even though this was just a sparring match, Renji did not want to lose. He wanted assurance that he was strong enough to protect Rukia. While his fight with Captain Kuchiki had shown that he was still years away from defeating an experienced captain-class opponent, he still wanted to prove, to no one but himself, that he could at least beat the other lieutenants. But Sasakibe was too fast, and stronger than he had anticipated. Even at full health, there was no way Renji could beat him with just Shikai.

"BANKAI!" Renji shouted.

Sasakibe's eyes widened and he braced himself against the explosion of reiatsu

"Hihio Zabimaru," a confident voice declared proudly from within the winding serpent's bone coils, which separated to reveal their master bedecked in his mantle.

"Bankai?" the elder lieutenant inquired with a raised eyebrow as he regained his composure. "For a sparring match?"

"Well, you were tougher than I thought you'd be," Renji admitted with a confident grin.

"Even so, your second release is not something you should be using so lightly," Sasakibe said disapprovingly.

"I think you're just scared of losing," the Baboon King taunted.

"Facing a man in Bankai with just a Shikai, and you think I am _scared_ of losing?" the fencer asked wryly. "I'm not like one of the elder captains, who could defeat even a well-trained Bankai with just their first release. This fight will be yours."

The fencer then lifted his rapier and pointed it at Renji and continued, "However, I will make you _earn_ it."

The Sixth's lieutenant saw a spark fly off Sasakibe's blade, and he immediately remembered what followed. In response, Renji had Hihio Zabimaru charge forward. It was quite fortunate that he did, for the instant after the skeletal snake advanced a bolt of electrical power emerged from the tip of the rapier and struck the living whip directly on its crown.

While Sasakibe's attack was blocked by the Bankai, Renji was surprised when Hihio Zabimaru's charge lost momentum and crashed to the ground in several pieces. Even though it was only a temporary setback, as he could easily call all the pieces back together, it still unnerved him that Sasakibe had enough power to do that to his skeletal serpent.

At this point he mentally smacked himself in the head. Sasakibe's zanpakutō was a lightning-type; when he had unleashed that bolt at him, the electrical energy had disturbed the reiatsu bonds that kept Hihio Zabimaru in one piece. Additionally, it only made sense that the elder lieutenant's attacks would be stronger now. Earlier, when it was just shikai-on-shikai, they were only sparring, and did not have any real intent to hurt each other. It was only natural that Sasakibe's electrical attack would be only enough to stun him for a few moments. Now, when Renji was in Bankai, Sasakibe no longer had a reason to hold back on the amount of power he put into those attacks, since he did not have to worry about them seriously harming his opponent.

And Renji had to admit, there was _a lot_ of power. He reevaluated his opinion of Sasakibe, and realized that this quiet, lesser-known man might be one of the stronger lieutenants of the Gotei 13.

Bringing his thoughts back to the here and now, a much more cautions Renji mentally called the pieces of Hihio Zabimaru to life again. The vertebrae of the serpent rose into the air and surrounded Sasakibe, the spikes pointed at their prey. He did not let them attack yet, merely letting the unspoken threat ring out to his opponent.

The golden-eyed lieutenant looked at the swarm of spears surrounding him, and then at the man controlling them.

"I yield," Sasakibe said as he lowered his zanpakutō and returned it to its sealed form.

While he was disappointed that the fight had not lasted longer, Renji accepted the surrender and reverted back to his normal state of power.

"Good job," the former vagabond said graciously as he stuck out his hand to Sasakibe.

"And you," the elder man took the offered hand and gave it a single slow but firm shake.

* * *

"That," Rangiku gasped, still recovering her breath with deep intakes of air after her long laughing session, "was… the… funniest thing… I've seen… in years."

"Gotta admit, Hinamori-chan," Ichimaru said in a voice laced with amusement, "I didn't think ya'd be ruthless 'nough to kick me below the belt on yer first spar."

"You said attack weak points," she replied defensively as Kira applied some basic healing kidō to her foot. While she had not broken it, it was still sore, so Kira used what he recalled from his time in the Fourth to assuage the pain.

"An' I'm very glad that ya took my lesson to heart so quickly," Ichimaru congratulated. "There's one other thin' I want ya two to work on before I start teachin' ya Bankai."

"What is it?" Kira asked.

"Make sure ya know yer zanpakutō first."

Kira and Hinamori blinked in confusion, while Rangiku groaned as she rolled her eyes, and lost the rest of her mirth.

"Gettin' 'nough power to materialize yer zanpakutō is jus' part o' the process," Ichimaru explained. "Ya also need to be in tune with 'em. They're a part o' yer soul, an' so in order to make 'em surrender the final release, ya need to _know_ yerself. That's what Rangiku's caught up on; she's almost at the point she can materialize, but she can't stop arguin' with Haineko long 'nough to really talk about how they can do Bankai."

"It's not my fault she's being difficult!"

"Ya see? If ya don't understand yer zanpakutō an' yerself, you'll _never_ get Bankai."

"Okay, I think it's time I took Hinamori-kun to the Fourth to check out her foot," Rangiku drawled as she picked up Hinamori in her arms.

"Thank you for teaching us, Ichimaru-taichō," Hinamori called as she was carried away.

"My pleasure," the unusual sensei replied.

"I think I will take my leave as well," Kira said. "Thank you for…"

"Lesson ain't over yet," Ichimaru turned towards the blond lieutenant. "I wanna know what you've learned at the Tenth."

A shiver went down Kira's spine, and he realized that he was in for a _long_ training session.

* * *

"_What was _THAT_?"_ Gonryōmaru demanded. _"You could have taken that little upstart if you had used your Bankai! Why did you yield?!"_

"_I have not used my Bankai in combat in two thousand years,"_ Chōjirō replied calmly. "_I will not use it just to win a sparring match."_

"_THIS is why nobody knows who you are!"_ the zanpakutō lamented. _"How is it that I'm stuck with a boring nobody for a master?"_

"_I did not become Yamamoto's lieutenant for fame and glory."_

"_Oh, I've LONG given up on fame and glory,"_ Gonryōmaru snapped. _"Right now, I'll settle for simple recognition."_

"_I have recognition,"_ Chōjirō said.

"_From WHOM, exactly?"_

"_Eijisai-dono, for one."_

"_I swear, you're worse than Ukitake's Third Seats! And Yamamoto's going to be the ONLY one who will know you if you keep going on like this. I bet that if you were the one nailed to the wall instead of Aizen, people would be saying, 'Hey, who's that, and why's he wearing a lieutenant's badge?'"_

"_That was not Aizen, if you will recall; that was only an illusion."_

"_YOU MISS THE POINT! Nobody knows who you are! Nobody would notice if you suddenly died on them for whatever reason! Can being boring be a cause of death, by the way?"_

"_You've always been melodramatic."_

"_Okay, now I KNOW you're deliberately avoiding the issue," _Gonryōmaru growled. "_The only reason Abarai will be remembering you is because you managed to stop him from rescuing Kuchiki Rukia! And now that he has 'proven' himself stronger, he's going to promptly forget your existence again."_

"_It doesn't matter to me."_

"_It matters to ME! Why aren't you taking MY feelings into consideration?"_

"_You are unusually persistent on this topic today, aren't you?"_

"_That's because for the first time in our existence, someone other than your precious Eijisai-dono looked at us with respect! Think of how much more respect Abarai would have if he knew we had Bankai!"_

"_I'm not going to release my Bankai just to create some awe,"_ Chōjirō said firmly.

"_FINE! Then look at it this way: training."_

A moment of hesitation, and the zanpakutō knew that he had found an opening.

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Abarai has only recently attained Bankai. You haven't even used yours against an opponent in two thousand years. Aren't you a bit worried that your skills might be a little rusty? Practicing with Abarai will help him improve his Bankai, while giving us a brush-up on ours at the same time. We're going to need all the training we can get if we're going to win this war against Aizen, you know."_

"_He can improve his Bankai with his teacher."_

"_And who might that be, exactly?"_

"_Madarame Ikkaku,"_ the lieutenant answered without missing a beat. _"Kuchiki-taichō was not aware of Abarai's Bankai until the day of Kuchiki Rukia's execution. The only other captain Abarai would be close enough to seek lessons from is Kenpachi, and he does not even know the name of his zanpakutō. That leaves us with Madarame Ikkaku."_

"_Think he'll ever figure out that his 'secret' is not such a big secret after all?"_ Gonryōmaru asked with a nearly audible smirk.

"_I hope so, otherwise it will get him killed one day."_

"_Still, back to the important topic, just because Madarame taught Abarai Bankai does not mean they'll continue to practice with each other. After all, Bankai training is not subtle, and I doubt that they will have time to undergo secret fighting sessions."_

"_Perhaps, but I do not see why _I_ must be his substitute sensei," _Chōjirō countered.

"_Will you stop listening to your stubborn streak for one minute and listen to _me_ instead?! Sparring with Abarai will do more than help the both of us improve our Bankai. With Aizen's betrayal, the Gotei 13 needs to work closer together. By having the lieutenants of both the First and the Sixth interact more regularly, it would mean stronger inter-division ties."_

Chōjirō paused as he thought carefully over his zanpakutō's words.

"_I suppose you have a point there,"_ he relented. _'I'll ask Abarai-san if he'll agree to another sparring match. But I will not use this as a publicity stunt."_

"_It's a step in the right direction,"_ Gonryōmaru said, apparently satisfied for now.

* * *

"Abarai-san."

Renji looked up from his paperwork with a raised eyebrow at the man who had just called his attention. "Sasakibe-san?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Would you be up for another sparring session after you have finished your duties for the day?" the elder lieutenant inquired.

"Oh, I get it; you want a chance to regain your honor," Renji grinned.

Sasakibe frowned, and attempted to clarify, "No. I simply think that with the upcoming war, we should be practicing to get stronger."

"Oh. There's that, too," Renji said sheepishly, and then cleared his throat nervously. "So, uh, where do you want to spar? Same place?"

"We'll train in the First Division's training grounds this time," Sasakibe answered.

"Really?" The answer took him by surprise. Outsiders rarely entered the grounds of the First Division, except for captains and less often lieutenants going to meetings with Yamamoto.

"Wait outside the gates of the First Division, and I will lead you in," the other man said. "Will that be agreeable?"

"Uh, sure," Renji replied. "I'll head over there after I'm done here for the day."

"Very good," Sasakibe nodded. "I will see you then."

* * *

Rikichi entered the Sixth Division's head office with a collection of forms for the captain to fill out, and walked in just in time to hear Captain Kuchiki ask Abarai, "What did he want?"

"He just wanted to arrange another sparring match between us," the lieutenant told him. "It'll be down at the First Division after I'm finished with my duties today."

"A sparring match?" Rikichi said excitedly. "With who?"

"Sasakibe-fukutaichō," Abarai answered.

"Who?"

"The lieutenant of the First Division."

"Oh. I'm sure you'll win, Abarai-san!"

"Yeah, but only if I use both releases," his hero confessed. "I gotta admit, he's tough and fast enough that I don't think I'd ever beat him with just my first release."

"Well, good thing you have Bankai!" Rikichi laughed.

"You may leave, Abarai Renji," Kuchiki intoned as he handed over the completed paperwork.

"Yes, sir," his lieutenant bowed and said a quick "bye" to Rikichi on his way out of the captain's office.

"You admire Abarai Renji," the noble captain stated.

"Uh, yes, sir," Rikichi jumped at being addressed.

"Every individual who has ever attained Bankai has had their name written down in the history of Soul Society," the lord continued on. "Yesterday I personally added Abarai Renji to that list."

Rikichi paid close attention to his captain; he suspected that the man was not finished saying whatever it was he wanted to say.

"As the head of the Kuchiki Clan, one of my duties is to memorize the name of every single person who has ever attained Bankai," Kuchiki continued. "And I can tell you that the name Sasakibe Chōjirō Tadaoki is near the beginning of that list."

The younger man gaped.

"Why didn't you tell Abarai-san that?" the unseated officer asked.

"While Abarai Renji is a good officer, with his courage and determination," the captain answered. "He needs to learn to not underestimate his opponents. This will be a good opportunity for him to learn that lesson without endangering his life."

Kuchiki then leveled his gaze directly at Rikichi, and the unseated shinigami instinctively glanced downward to avoid the insubordinate action of looking a superior officer, and a noble to boot, in the eye.

"That is why you are not to inform Abarai Renji of this until after his sparring match with Sasakibe-fukutaichō."

"Yes, sir," Rikichi said.

"You are dismissed."

"Yes, sir," the spiritual featherweight bowed and left the room.

He had to talk with somebody about what he had just learned. Since Kuchiki had ordered him not to tell Abarai, the lieutenant was off the list, but there were still the other unseated officers…

* * *

Kiyone rushed through the Thirteenth Division with the news in mind. She had heard numerous rumors over the years, but none were as incredible as the piece she had just heard in her mind. She _had_ to get to Captain Ukitake as quickly as possible, as he was the only one she trusted to dispel or confirm this rumor. If she recalled correctly, her captain was currently in the gardens relaxing.

Of course, big stupid Sentaro had been with her at the time she had heard that newest bit of gossip, so that meant he, too, was now rushing to beat her to Captain Ukitake presence to inquire about the same thing that was on her mind.

They found him in the company of his oldest friend, Captain Kyōraku, and Nanao.

"Ukitake-taichō!" the two Third Seats chorused as they dropped in front of the object of their worship.

"Kiyone? Sentaro? What is it?" the confused captain asked.

"Does Sasakibe-fukutaichō have Bankai?" they chorused their question.

"Don't copy me!" Kiyone shouted.

"I didn't! YOU copied ME!"

"No I didn't!"

"Yes you did!"

"Please don't argue," Ukitake interrupted.

Immediately the bickering pair ceased their argument and bowed to their captain. "Many apologies, Ukitake-taichō!" Needless to say, this was also spoken simultaneously.

"Now, why do you wish to know about Sasakibe-san's Bankai?" the white-haired man continued.

"So he DOES have one?" Kiyone asked in shock.

* * *

Rangiku had been a good friend to take Hinamori to the Fourth, not to mention stay by her side and keep her company while they waited for a healer to enter the room and treat the petite girl's foot. But Hinamori thought it a bit suspicious that the moment she felt Unohana's reiatsu approach, Rangiku had to "use the restroom."

"Your appointment with me is not for another two days. So why are you here now?"

Hinamori whimpered just a little upon hearing Unohana's voice in a dangerously placid tone. A blush crept onto the girl's cheeks, and she mumbled out her answer.

"Please repeat that, Hinamori-kun, so that I can hear you," Unohana told her.

The girl swallowed and repeated herself just within audible range. "I, uh, tried to kick Ichimaru-taichō in the…"

She could not finish the sentence. However, judging by the blush, Unohana could guess the answer.

"I see," she smiled in amusement. "You kicked him in the groin."

"Please, Unohana-taichō," Hinamori begged as she covered her hands with her face. "I _really_ don't want to talk about it."

The healer gave the girl some mercy.

"Let me see that foot," Unohana beckoned.

Hinamori nodded mutely and the red receded from her face as the older woman walked over to her bed and examined her injury.

"I am very curious, however," Unohana spoke as she began the healing process, "as to why you would do such a thing, and how Ichimaru-taichō reacted afterwards."

As the young lieutenant reluctantly recounted as to how she tried to emasculate Ichimaru Gin, Unohana worked on restoring Hinamori's injured limb to its proper state.

"And while I can understand Ichimaru-taichō's desire to train you for the upcoming war, I will make sure he knows that training you too hard will cause you further harm," Unohana concluded. "And also inform him that due to his own recent injuries, Ichimaru-taichō should not be pushing himself too far, either."

"I will, Unohana-taichō," Hinamori accepted.

"Captain, there you are!"

Unohana and Hinamori turned to see Isane running towards them.

"Is it true, Unohana-taichō?" the vertically advantaged lieutenant gasped.

"Isane, catch your breath, and then _calmly_ tell me exactly what you wish to know," the matronly woman instructed.

Her subordinate nodded and took several deep breaths. After she had managed to restore her heart rate to a more normal level, she asked, "Does Sasakibe-san really have a Bankai?"

* * *

Chōjirō frowned as he and Abarai entered the First Division's training arena and observed the crowd of officers from other divisions sitting on the sidelines. He saw the captains of the Fourth, Sixth, Eighth, Eleventh, and Thirteenth, along with their lieutenants, and in the case of the latter two divisions, the Third Seats as well. Also present were the lieutenants from the Third and Fifth, and to Chōjirō's surprise, he recognized other officers from the First Division standing off on their own, separate from the rest of the other shinigami. Unlike his zanpakutō, the First Division's lieutenant did not like performing in front of an audience. He preferred being in the background, doing whatever was required of him out of sight of the masses.

He sent an inquiring glance at his sparring partner.

"Don't look at me," Abarai held up his hands defensively. "I didn't know they were going to be here."

"Nor did I," a deceptively mellow voice grumbled behind them.

Abarai jumped to stand at attention when he recognized the speaker, while Chōjirō did the same in a calmer manner.

Captain-Commander Yamamoto, of course, did not look surprised by this.

"Why did you not inform me of this?" the head-captain inquired.

"I did not realize that a sparring match would be high enough on your priority list to attend," the white-haired lieutenant answered.

"Any duel with you as a participant is one I dare not miss," the general replied. "Carry on." He strode past them, every other footstep accentuated by a tap of his cane on the ground, to position himself in a spot between the members of the First Division and the rest of the Gotei 13 officers who were present.

"No pressure, huh?" Abarai muttered. "I mean we only have the majority of captains and lieutenants watching to see how our duel goes."

"I suppose we should go get it over with," Chōjirō murmured back in agreement, and then moved to the other side of the sparring arena.

Renji could honestly sympathize with his sparring partner. He could tell that Sasakibe was uncomfortable with being watched by so many of his peers and superiors; perhaps that was why he had never called much attention to himself. Renji was not bothered by having an audience like the First's lieutenant obviously was, but when two of the spectators were their captains, his nerves got in the mood to want to run away. It didn't make sense that he should feel embarrassed; he was the one who wielded Bankai in this fight; his Bankai whose power could already be attested to by his captain, so why did he feel this way?

Maybe it was out of sympathy. Sasakibe was strong, but he was the weaker of the two, and Renji was about to prove it in front of his captain. He gave a brief thought to going easy on the older man, but decided quickly that it would have been an insult. He would fight, he would win, and his opponent would put up a good resistance in the process.

This time, it was Sasakibe who made the first move; as soon as they had both released their zanpakutō, the fencer had flash-stepped directly in front of him and plunged the tip of his blade forward.

Renji just managed to sidestep the thrust in time, but Sasakibe's follow-up attacks were rapid and persistent. It was all the Sixth Lieutenant could do to block or parry the rapier which threatened to perforate him. With each attack that came within inches of hitting home, Renji noticed the difference from the last time they had fought and now. In their prior sparring session, the golden-eyed man had been more testing and probing in his attacks. Now, Sasakibe's was on the offensive as he aggressively thrust his rapier forward and attempted to turn Renji into shish-kebab.

Finally, Renji saw an opening. Just as Sasakibe finished lunging forward, the brawny warrior pulled his left fist back and drove it directly into his face. His adversary reeled back, both from the fist's force, and surprise that a fist had managed to connect.

Renji grinned at taking his opponent off guard, and followed up by whipping Zabimaru out.

To his credit, Sasakibe recovered well enough in time to parry the attack. He blocked the next two swings as effectively as he had the first, and then a spark seemed to light off the fencer's blade.

Renji's grin fell, and he jumped out of the way with the knowledge of what would come next. A jagged line of white electricity scorched the ground where the red-haired man had just leapt from, and there were some gasps of surprise from the audience at the sight of Sasakibe's Shikai ability.

Renji attempted a counterattack, but each time he tried, the First Lieutenant sent out a measured streak of lightning to keep him moving and to prevent him from going on the offensive. As he flash-stepped away from another electrical bolt, Renji knew he was going to have to level up sooner than he thought if he still wanted to win this fight.

"Bankai!"

The explosion of reiatsu forced Sasakibe to leap backwards to a safe distance.

"Hihio Zabimaru!" Renji announced with no small amount of pride in his voice

He noticed in his peripheral vision that the spectators were looking at him in varying levels of interest and awe. Renji only let himself have a brief moment of satisfaction at their reactions, and focused his attention on his opponent.

To his confusion, Sasakibe was not looking at him in surprise or disapproval like in their prior fight. As a matter of fact, it seemed just the opposite; it looked like he _wanted_ Renji to go Bankai. The Baboon King's puzzlement was compounded when his opponent raised his zanpakutō into the air, the tip pointed at the sky. Then, in a voice full of subtle but immovable resolution, he declared, "Bankai!"

_What?!_

* * *

With the declaration of a second release, Gonryōmaru transformed into a bolt of lightning in his hand, and shot into the sky. Then the jagged line of white-hot energy left his grip and ascended upwards to form a shallow dome over his head. An instant later, bars of electricity struck the ground from the edge of the dome, and formed a cage to protect him.

"Kōkō Gonryō Rikyū!"

Chōjirō did not realize how much he had missed the feeling of being in Bankai, the delicious high of having so much raw power at his fingertips. As the Golden Royal Villa of the Stern Spirit reached into the heavens, that power only multiplied. In truth, the majority of the strength behind his attacks was generated by the weather. He may have brought the storm clouds into existence, but those clouds were the power source for his electrical defense and attack. The only reiatsu that was needed while he was in Bankai was the energy to keep the storm going. While that was still represented a great amount, it was still less than most other captains required to maintain their most powerful release, which meant he could also fight with his Bankai longer than most.

This also meant that he had a nearly infinite pool of electrical energy from which to draw his attacks, since they came from the storm and not from his own power.

As the rain began to fall on the sparring arena, Abarai Renji stood still and stared at him like he had just broken some law of nature.

"Pay attention, Abarai!" the storm lord commanded, and accentuated his order by mentally calling down a bolt of lightning a few feet to his opponent's left. He had trained enough that gesturing with his hands was an unnecessary motion.

The white flash had already registered to the redhead's eyes and thunder assaulted his ears before he jumped and whipped his head towards the source, only to find a black mark on the ground still smoking. Abarai's eyes snapped back to his adversary. His eyes were still wide, but it seemed that his focus was now on the battle.

And focused it was; now that it was clear to Renji that he was dealing with an equal or superior opponent, he threw his strength into Hihio Zabimaru's next charge.

Chōjirō calmly stood in place and waited for the snake-monkey to connect their attack on him. The skull crashed into the bars of lightning standing between it and the lieutenant inside, and with a roar resembling pain, the skeleton fell apart. That was part of Kōkō Gonryō Rikyū's defense: he was protected inside his cage of lightning from most forms of attack.

While Abarai looked in horror at his Bankai's inability to dent his enemy's defenses, Chōjirō wondered what his next move should be. His original plan had been to simply try out Kōkō Gonryō Rikyū, and make sure he could still use him efficiently. But now that he was in Bankai, Chōjirō realized that there was very little he could do without causing serious harm to Abarai. While the Sixth's lieutenant was capable of the legendary release, he was still too new at it for them to practice together safely.

So the ancient man decided that it would be better if the sparring session ended sooner rather than later.

He sent another mental call to have a lightning bolt strike the ground, this time just to Abarai's right. While the attack did not directly make contact, the proximity to the super-hot bolt made him jump instinctively away, and the deep rumble that immediately followed the strike deafened him for a moment.

"This time, Abarai-san," Chōjirō called out so he could be heard over the pouring rain and retreating thunder, "the victory is mine. Yield!"

Renji seemed to have enough of his hearing back to catch his opponent's command, as evidenced by the narrowed eyes of defiance. Then there was a pause of contemplation, and then a nod of acceptance. Abarai relaxed his posture, and sealed Hihio Zabimaru into their original katana form.

In response, the rain stopped, and the clouds lightened to whiter colors and then drifted away, and there was a sealed blade at Chōjirō's belt again.

When he had last released Bankai to fight someone, it had been against Yamamoto, two thousand years ago. Then, he was a young man eager to prove his worth to the legendary demigod. In that battle, there was no question as to who would win; the only uncertainty was whether the youngster would actually be strong enough to make Yamamoto bleed.

Now, the old lieutenant realized he was in Yamamoto's position; he was the elder testing out the Bankai of an ambitious young man.

His musings were interrupted as he noticed his sparring partner march forward. It seemed that the shock of his second release had yet to fade from Abarai's mind, for the first words out of his mouth were, "If you have Bankai, then why don't you become a captain?"

"I don't want to."

Abarai's jaw dropped. It was quite amusing to watch, but Chōjirō managed to conceal his humor.

"But there are three divisions that need captains!" the young fighter protested.

"My place is in the First Division, as Yamamoto-dono's right arm," he said firmly. "Captaincy is not, and never will be, my future."

The younger lieutenant was silent for a moment as he stared at Sasakibe.

"But… I thought that…" Renji said hesitantly.

"You thought that everyone who attained Bankai went on to become a captain when a position opened up," he finished. "That is true for the most part. However, there have been a few others besides myself who, for a number of reasons, chose not to seek out promotion."

Deciding to let the youngster contemplate his words (and hopefully pass them along to a certain Third Seat), Chōjirō decided to end their conversation. He gave a bow of respect to his opponent and then walked away.

Before he had gotten too far out of earshot from the rest of the spectators, he heard his captain call his name.

"Chōjirō," Yamamoto intoned to his lieutenant. "I could feel that you were not working at full power against Abarai-fukutaichō."

"No," the eldest lieutenant confirmed. "I did not want to kill him, after all."

Yamamoto hummed in agreement.

"I do believe the time has come to test to truth of your vow," the captain-commander spoke. "I wish to see if your Bankai is still as childish as it was two thousand years ago."

Chōjirō smiled.

"Where and when, Eijisai-dono?"

* * *

**Author's Note:** The scene between Hinamori and Gin is based on Hiyori attempting the same maneuver on Urahara, with the same results. My explanation is that it's the same reason Ichigo was unable to cut Kenpachi in their first meeting; there was simply too much of a power gap between the two.

In case you're wondering, no, I will not be giving Rangiku, Hinamori or Kira a Bankai in this story. While details of Rangiku's spiritual strength and how they were affected by being stolen for the Hogyoku is unknown, for purposes of this story, I will hold that she is strong enough that she will eventually attain Bankai, but not during the course of this fanfic. As for Hinamori and Kira, they will definitely not be getting a Bankai in this story, and it's up in the air if they even have enough power for materialization.

When going into the finer details of Sasakibe's Bankai, I basically asked myself this question: how do I make the Bankai that put a scar on Yamamoto's head in its very first battle appropriately awesome?

If you think that Sasakibe is overpowered, then here's some food for thought: the energy output of your average thunderstorm is about the same as that of an atomic bomb. If that's not enough, then consider Sasakibe's main attack: a lightning bolt. It travels about one-third the speed of light, and has a temperature of five thousand Kelvin. In other words, Sasakibe has an attack almost six hundred times faster than Kamishini no Yari, and ten times hotter than the surface of the sun (Yamamoto's Zanka no Tachi is the temperature of the sun's core, about fifteen _million_ Kelvin).

Thanks to all who left reviews: **The Lord of War**, **Juliedoo**, **TykkiMikk**, **4fireking**, **TakaSasuke**, **Nnix Ame**, and anonymous guests.

* * *

**Omake: Shinigami Illustrated Guide**

Rangiku hummed happily as she walked into SWA headquarters with her prize. Their current project had been to take pictures of different celebrities in the Gotei 13 in order to raise money for their organization. She had, of course, been assigned Gin as her target, and he had gleefully agreed to their session. She had not gotten much sleep last night, but it was most certainly worth it.

The strawberry-blonde woman dropped her prize on Nanao's desk and waited for her reaction.

"What do you think?" she smirked. "Pretty good, eh?"

A vein on Nanao's forehead throbbed dangerously, and her glasses attained a dangerous shine as she looked over the pictures.

"Rangiku-san," the vice-president said in a deceptively calm voice. "The assignment was to have you take pictures of celebrities, _not_ have the celebrities take pictures of _you_."

"Eh?" Rangiku blinked in confusion.

"_And we certainly cannot print nude pictures of anyone!"_

Rangiku grabbed the pictures and inspected them for herself. Just as Nanao had growled, they were all explicit pictures of her.

"Gin…," she growled through clenched teeth. He was _so_ exiled to the couch for the next month (not that they had one, but it was the thought that counted).

Meanwhile, back at the captain's quarters, Gin was burning all the nude pictures of himself and Rangiku (except one of the latter that he thought was quite good), as a deterrent for Angry Wife. He also made sure to save the shirtless photos of himself so he could give them to Rangiku later, not only as an additional deterrent for Angry Wife, but also so she would finally see the humor in his little joke on her.


	9. Arrancar

Ichigo was annoyed.

He was somewhat okay with the team of shinigami showing up at his school. He was even fine with Rukia kidnapping him from his body, because at least she got him out of the blue funk he was in. However, he was _not_ okay with Rangiku, Renji, Yumichika, and Ikkaku invading his room by coming in through the ceiling light. Could they not have used the window like Rukia normally did?

Ichigo belatedly realized that his life was far too weird if he considered his window to be an acceptable entrance to his bedroom.

"What'd you do to my light?" he demanded of his intruders.

"We tried installing a new light bulb," Rangiku joked.

"With what?" the follicle-lacking fighter asked as he hung down from the ceiling.

Rangiku frowned at his obliviousness, and pushed him in the head, sending him on a premature journey to the floor.

"Don't be so uptight," she scolded Ichigo.

"I'm surprised that your joker of a husband didn't come down with you," the teenager scowled.

"Nah, I did somethin' different."

Ichigo jumped at the fox's voice. Hoping against hope, he looked at the window in the _very_ remote possibility that Gin had actually decided on the sane and rational course of action. Of course, since that would have been the _sane and rational_ course of action, he was not there.

"Gin? Where are you?"

"Right here."

As the reluctant host to the team of shinigami turned around, his jaw dropped below his knees. The closet door had opened, revealing the smiling captain sitting there with his legs now dangling out casually. Like the others, he was still in his gigai and school uniform, his shirt untucked and the top button undone.

The substitute shinigami sputtered for a few seconds, before finally deciding on a lucid question.

"How did you get in there?"

He at least took pleasure in the fact that the rest of the shinigami seemed to be as confused as he was at how Gin got into the closet.

"Don't be nosy, Ichigo," Gin chided. "Didn't ya want to know 'bout Arrancar?"

Ichigo stuttered for a few more moments before coming to the realization that he was better off _not _knowing.

"Fine. What are they?"

Renji and Rukia volunteered to explain (the latter being much less helpful in Ichigo's opinion). After learning about the Arrancar, he asked about why these particular shinigami were chosen to come to the living world.

"Rukia was picked because she knew you the best," Renji started explaining.

"Not true!" Rukia protested indignantly, "I was selected because of my abilities!"

Her interjection was ignored.

"I'm the closest to Rukia out of the available fighters, so I was chosen," Renji continued.

Ichigo could understand that. The lieutenant was a good fighter, and it was more practical to have shinigami assigned here who were already familiar with some of the people they needed to work with.

"And then I was told to pick out some fighters that I could trust who were below captain class. So I asked Ikkaku."

Again, Ichigo could follow the logic there. He knew from personal experience that the Third Seat was a good guy to have on your side in a fight.

"And then Yumichika-san insisted on going."

The substitute shinigami suddenly had a feeling that logic was about to have a decreasing factor in choosing the fighters from here on.

"When Rangiku-san heard the commotion he was making, she said that she wanted to come since it seemed interesting."

Yes, it seemed that logic and reasoning only had a vote in three of the fighters, and left the rest to absurdity and frivolity.

"Rangiku-san wouldn't hear of being left behind, and so Ichimaru-taichō came along as the leader."

Beat.

"Or something like that."

"What is this, a picnic?" Ichigo asked in exasperation.

"Okay, now fer part two of yer lesson, Ichigo," Gin interjected.

The silver haired captain went on to explain the three classes of Menos: Gillian, Adjuchas, and Vasto Lorde. After he finished the lecture, Ichigo had one last thing he wanted to ask.

"So when are you going back?"

"We're not," Renji answered. "Until this battle with the Arrancar is over, we'll be staying in the world of the living."

"Well, where will you guys be sleeping then?"

Six people looked at him expectantly.

"And don't even think about staying here, there's too many of you, and my family would definitely notice," Ichigo preemptively denied.

"That's okay, we'll ask Orihime-chan if we can stay at her place," Rangiku said pleasantly. "Coming, Gin?"

"Right behind ya, Rangiku," he said as he followed his wife out the window.

After Ikkaku and Yumichika followed suit, Ichigo turned towards the other two team members.

"I'll be staying at Urahara's," Renji assured the substitute, and exited the room via the window.

"So, where are you staying?" Ichigo asked Rukia. Last time she lived in town, she had stayed in his room, so he didn't know who she was going to ask for a place to live.

Rukia just smirked at him.

"No!" Ichigo denied.

Her smirk stayed.

"I said 'no!'"

Smirk.

"Rukia!"

This was his room and his house, so why was Rukia the one in charge?

* * *

Gin sat on the roof of Orihime's place, looking up into the sky.

After easily obtaining the "okay" to stay, Gin had gotten a quick bite to eat before quietly vacating the room. He could see that there was something on the human girl's mind, and he figured she wanted to let it out to somebody. He knew that his wife was _far_ better at comforting people than he was; Rangiku had certainly tried to teach him the finer points of compassion and empathy, but even after a hundred years, such skills were still elusive to him. So, he decided to let the girls have a private talk.

That was okay with him. It was a beautiful evening, and the view of the night sky in the world of the living was a treat he was not able to indulge in often. Gin let his eyes open more fully to allow him a better view of the stars.

They were arranged differently here than they were in Soul Society. He could tell because he and Rangiku had spent nights every now and then just lying together and looking up into the wonder of the night sky. Gin wondered why the stars looked off here, and whether or not the reason for that difference lay solely in the fact that this was the living world, or if there were other factors involved.

Gin had once visited the Twelfth to ask if they had done any research in astronomy.

* * *

"_Astronomy?" Mayuri looked up from his computer with nine parts annoyance and one part curiosity at the trespasser. There was a list of individuals he had long given up trying to keep out of his laboratory. Top of that list were Kusajishi Yachiru and Ichimaru Gin, and the latter was the one that was now present. While the fox was intruding on precious time for experimentation, at least it was made up by the fact that he was seeking scientific knowledge._

"_Astronomy," his erstwhile ally confirmed. "Ya know, study o' the stars an' all that."_

"_We haven't much interest in such a branch of research," the scientist answered. "Astronomy is primarily calculation of planetary trajectories and aiding timekeeping. Prediction for eclipses, for example. Since we have computers, we have little need to further explore astronomy."_

"_Ain't ya even curious?" Gin asked._

"_Of course," Mayuri replied. "But I have other, far more interesting projects on my mind right now. Perhaps some other day, I'll take another look. Now, is there anything else you wish to know, or are you here just to annoy me?"_

* * *

His thoughts were interrupted by Rangiku coming up to the roof in her night clothes.

"Orihime-chan and I are about to have dinner," she said. "Do you want to join us?"

"Nah, I already snacked," he answered. He wondered idly how the human girl was going to react to his wife's… odd tastes. "How'd the girl talk go?"

"I don't confide and tell, Gin, you know that," she scolded him with good humor.

"I didn't ask what ya talked 'bout, I asked how it went," he riposted.

She smirked at his counter. "She's feeling better now."

"Good. Ya better get back down; ya don't wanna keep our hostess waitin'."

"Enjoy the view," she said, referring to his watching of the night sky.

"I will," he promised.

Rangiku pecked him on the cheek and went back down into Orihime's apartment.

Gin sighed as he settled back down on the roof. While he could not hear the specifics, he could definitely tell that both the girls were enjoying their meal. That either meant that Rangiku had come across normal food that she liked, or Orihime's tastes were just as abnormal as his wife's.

Very early on, Gin and Rangiku made a simple deal about her cooking: he would try every single one of her creations once, and he would be honest about the taste. It was actually a better arrangement than either had expected; there was a one in three chance that Gin would find her meals weird-good, weird-neutral, or weird-bad. It was only every now and then that she made something he truly couldn't force past his gag reflex.

Sometime later, as he pondered the culinary habits of his spouse, he felt it; the appearance of a hostile incursion. The reiatsu had the familiar vile aura of a Hollow, but was somehow tempered by the presence of something akin to a shinigami. These had to be Arrancar.

Gin popped the small green pill in his mouth and told the gikongan to find a safe spot to hide. Rangiku was up only a second later, in her natural spiritual form and with her zanpakutō drawn.

"Orihime-chan safe?" he asked.

"Yes, I had her watch over my gigai so that she wouldn't try to join the fight."

"Get ready, Rangiku; they're here."

A moment after he had spoken, two figures appeared in front of them in the air in a manner similar yet different to shunpo.

"Nice to meet you," greeted the taller, slimmer figure on the left, and then vanished.

Gin knew there was only one place an attacking enemy would go after he had disappeared from in front of you.

He quickly drew Shinsō and pivoted on his feet to block the strike from behind.

"Gin!"

Rangiku was forced to jump away as the other enemy attacked her.

A moment of silence followed as the combatants measured their opponents.

"I am Arrancar Eleven, Shawlong," Gin's opponent finally said.

"Ichimaru Gin," he replied cordially. "Captain of the Third Division. Nice to meet ya, too."

Introductions finished, Gin pushed against his enemy, and they separated. He made sure to catch up to the Hollow, and they faced each other once more on the roof of a nearby building.

"Captain of the Third Division," Shawlong said, and then a small, satisfied smile lit his features. "My, my, how wonderful. It looks like I hit the jackpot."

Gin elected not to reply, and simply changed the setting on his smile from "Standard" to "Intimidating." He was quite pleased when Shawlong's smug smile straightened into a cautious frown.

With no further warning, the vulpine captain leapt forward and struck with Shinsō.

* * *

"Growl, Haineko," Rangiku called out in between swings of the enemy's fists, and the ash storm rose to her command. It was quite evident that with her reiatsu limiter activated, the rotund enemy assaulting her was clearly her match in strength and speed.

With her blade now a cloud of ash, the lieutenant could now focus on dodging each punch sent at her, and did not have to worry about trying to find an opening; Haineko would drift through any gap in the enemy's defense. Rangiku swung her hilt, and the Ash Cat pounced.

Sparks flew off the Arrancar's hide as the millions of particles of Rangiku's zanpakutō scratched at his skin, but there was no significant damage.

"My hierro is too strong for you to break through," the giant informed her arrogantly.

"Even the toughest armor has its weak spot," Rangiku rejoined. "And my zanpakutō is good at finding them."

On that note, she swung her hilt again, and the cloud swirled across her enemy's body and dove towards his throat. The thinner skin at the neck was more vulnerable, and Haineko succeeded in drawing blood with her claws.

The Arrancar's eyes widened at the unexpected piercing of his iron flesh, and disappeared from the clutches of the incorporeal zanpakutō.

Just like her husband, Rangiku knew what would happen next. So in response, she swung the hilt of her sword as she pivoted one hundred eighty degrees.

As expected, the corpulent man was behind her with his fist raised above his head and ready to bring it down on her head. Before the blow landed, Haineko blocked the fist as she blew in between her wielder and the Arrancar.

"That was pretty fast," Rangiku admitted to her opponent as she held back his fist. "It's a lot like our shunpo; what do you call yours?"

"Sonido," the Arrancar replied haughtily.

* * *

A minute into the fight, Shawlong took a moment to pause and briefly looked off into the distance.

"One of yer guys got killed, didn't they?" Gin asked, also feeling the sudden drop of reiatsu. And if he was not mistaken, it was Rukia who had dealt that blow. He made a mental note to give the girl a congratulatory pat on the head next time he saw her.

"One of our weaker brethren," Shawlong replied calmly. "Do not make the mistake of believing that Di-Roy's death makes your victory certain."

"It sure don't help yer side," Gin replied, and attacked again.

The two duelists clashed three times, and the captain pulled away first. Shawlong managed to get a scratch in, and a small amount of blood began to trickle from the wound on the left side of his face just below the eye.

"Not bad," Gin admitted as he gingerly touched the nick on his cheek. "Ya got me that time."

"It will not be the last injury I will inflict on you," Shawlong promised.

"Don't make promises yer not sure ya can keep," the fox taunted back.

He subtly checked Rangiku's condition. She had already released her sword, and was still having trouble fighting her opponent. Still, she was holding her own for now, and since Gin could not do anything to help her at the moment, the status quo would have to remain.

However, that did not mean that he would not do something to end the fight quicker.

"Shoot to kill, Shinsō!"

Shawlong's eye widened in surprise at the sudden release of Shikai, and just managed to block it before Gin scored a hit.

Quickly recovering, the Arrancar disappeared and reappeared behind Ichimaru with his blade ready to fall.

Not exactly a fast learner, this one.

Gin had easily predicted the move and leveled Shinsō back beneath his armpit. The fang of his sword pierced through his haori and scored a hit on the astonished Hollow. It was not a very deep one, just a cut in the oblique muscle, but it was a hit, and forced Shawlong to retreat by leaping away. Gin retracted his blade and faced him, and from his relatively safer position, the Arrancar considered his foe.

"I'm surprised you managed to hit me," he said. "Even though you are only at Shikai, you managed to catch me by surprise. But that is the extent of your power in this state, is it not? Your sword relies more on keeping your opponent at a distance rather than overpowering them with raw strength. You hope to kill me by staying away and not allowing me to close in for a counterattack."

"Ya figured it out," Gin admitted. While his enemy's deductions were not incorrect, they were far from the whole, accurate story. But the wary warrior saw no reason to change the Arrancar's mind, so he kept mum about his own abilities. Instead, he asked, "So whatcha gonna do now?"

"How prepared are you for the eventuality that your opponent would be fast enough to close that gap?" was all Shawlong inquired before he raised his blade vertically and declared, "Slice, Tijereta!"

A smile painted the Arrancar's lips as an explosion of reiatsu rushed past Gin. When the smoke cleared, Shawlong appeared in his Resurreccion form. He studied his skeletal hands for a moment before attacking.

Gin saw it coming, but just barely. He only managed to step back enough to let the tip of Shawlong's claw run across his torso. While the wound was shallow, the sheer length did mean that blood was pouring out of his body fast. On instinct, Gin focused his reiatsu into the wound to stop the bleeding. He did not do anything more, because he still needed enough spiritual power to kill his opponent.

"Huh," the captain remarked looking down at his injury. "Ya got me that time."

"I told you that I would inflict another wound on you," Shawlong commented lightly. "However, I'm surprised you managed to step back in time to prevent that cut from completely bisecting you. Even so, if this is your maximum speed, you will not stand a chance. Why don't you try your Bankai? You will need it if you wish to have any chance at beating me."

Truth be told, Gin had been contemplating that course of action, but he did not like the idea of revealing his full power to someone who was probably just a henchman. True, with the restriction on, the release of Bankai would be about the equivalent of releasing Shikai, but it was still the principle of the matter. Besides, this provided Gin with a chance to test his wits.

"What, jus' 'cause ya grew yer nails out?" Gin shrugged. "I don't need no Bankai fer that, jus' nail clippers."

The Arrancar narrowed his eyes in annoyance, and leapt forward to attack again.

This time, the fox was prepared, and blocked the long, bony fingers which threatened to shred him to bits.

"I'm serious, ya should be more careful," Gin smirked. "Next time ya feel the need to scratch yer nuts, ya mind end up a eunuch."

Shawlong appeared only mildly annoyed at his opponent's taunts.

"You will reap the fruits of your arrogance soon enough," the Arrancar calmly swore.

* * *

Rangiku was reaching the edge of her limit; while the assault on her enemy's eye and throat served well to force him to relocate, his sonido allowed him to escape Haineko's claws before too much damage could be inflicted.

"_Ichimaru Rangiku-sama! You are hereby authorized to use full force!"_

The news from the radio made the woman grin triumphantly.

"Gin! Renji!" she called out to her allies, "We've got permission to break the restriction!"

* * *

The division's leader let his smile become a predatory grin as he heard Rangiku's announcement.

"Better late than never I guess," he said rhetorically, savoring the feel of the invisible collar lifting.

"What's this?" Shawlong asked in return, a small amount of concern beginning to show on his face for the first time, but it was quickly suppressed.

"Limit, release," was Gin's only response, and he could feel the other two combatants also letting their full power out. Reiatsu from three shinigami flared blue, and sent beams of light into the sky.

"Did you say, 'limit, release'?" the would-be raider asked, now not bothering to conceal his surprise.

The smoke cleared, and Gin appeared before the Arrancar refreshed with his wounds partly closed.

"Yeah, sorry, Shawlong, but yer gonna die now," the captain said to his opponent playfully. "Ya see, whenever someone lieutenant or higher goes to the livin' world, their power is sealed to 'bout one fifth. In certain situations, we can get permission to remove the seals… situations like these, fer example."

Shawlong's attention was diverted when he saw one of his fellow Fraccion destroyed by Renji.

Upon the realization that he was now outclassed, the insectoid Arrancar called to his remaining comrade for a retreat, just in time to see Rangiku use Haineko simply _shred_ the large Arrancar into dust.

Seeing that he was the only one left, Shawlong ran.

"Uh, uh, uh, uh," Gin scolded as he observed his opponent's flight, before letting Shinsō strike with her full strength. The serpentine blade hissed in joy as she pierced the Arrancar's chest.

Shawlong screamed in pain, but was quickly silenced as the blade moved upward and neatly cut his skull in half.

The image of shock and fear was split in two before Shawlong's body dissipated.

Gin let out a sigh, and resealed his Shikai.

"Gin!"

The addressed captain looked down to see his wife standing next to Orihime and her gikongai on the rooftop.

"Are you all right?" she called.

"I'm good," he answered as he descended to their position. "Though if ya don't mind, Orihime-chan, I wouldn't object to ya healing these scratches."

"No problem," the human girl acquiesced, and mentally called out two of her Shun Shun Rikka.

"You only sustained two injuries, Ichimaru-taichō?" the gikongan asked as the subtle hum of Orihime's powers did their work, its English accent sounding weird from the voice box of his gigai.

When Gin went to get a gikongan for his mission to the living world, he wanted one that had a Kansai accent like his. They didn't have any, so he decided to pick the one with a fox's head on it. The result was a gikongan with a British accent that sounded almost as creepy as the man he impersonated. Gin took a liking to it immediately.

"Yep," the captain answered as he felt his battle's injuries disappear, and the Soten Kisshun returned to their owner's hair. As soon as he was released from her healing sphere, Rangiku rushed forward and tightly wrapped her arms around his torso. In reply, Gin put an arm around her and whispered to her, "I'm okay, Rangiku."

"I was worried about you," she said softly.

"Oh, c'mon, that guy was barely worth mentionin'," he assured her, and then turned his attention to Orihime, who was quietly trying not to look at the scene before her. He placed his free hand on her head, and said, "Thanks, Orihime-chan, I owe ya one."

"Oh, no, you don't," the girl rushed to reply. "It wasn't a problem!"

"You know, we should check on the others," Rangiku reluctantly spoke up. "They might need Orihime-chan's healing abilities."

"Aw, but I wanna stay here an' snuggle," Gin pouted.

"Yes, it's very comfortable, but we need to make sure no one else is dead or dying."

"All right, fine," the captain relented as he let go of his wife.

"Stay in the apartment until we come back," Rangiku instructed the gikongan.

They both nodded and left.

Gin picked up Orihime in his arms with a squeak of protest from the girl before flash-stepping towards the nearest reiatsu source, Rangiku following right behind him.

A few minutes later, they found a bruised Ichigo and an unconscious Rukia on the roof of a building. Gin quickly set down both himself and the flustered human girl and announced their presence with, "Someone need a healer?"

"Inoue! Gin! Rangiku-san!"

Orihime's sight first went to the large number of Ichigo's bruises, but then she saw Rukia lying unconscious with a stab wound to her abdomen and her gikongan weeping over her.

She immediately ran to the petite shinigami and with a call to her Shun Shun Rikka began her work.

"So, how'd yer fight go?" Gin asked Ichigo.

The substitute did not answer, instead looking off to the side unhappily.

"Eh, well, ya win some, ya lose some," the captain shrugged.

"You fought an Espada, didn't you?" Rangiku asked.

Ichigo looked at her in surprise, and Gin also sent an inquiring smile to her.

"The guy I fought was bragging about it," she explained. "The Espada are Aizen's top ten Arrancar, some of his strongest fighters."

"Yeah, my guy said the same thing," the captain confirmed. "Grimmjow was his name, right?"

"Yeah," the human teen nodded.

"Is Rukia-san going to be okay?" Rangiku asked.

"I think so," Orihime replied. "I'll take care of your wounds next, Kurosaki-kun."

"'Kay," he said dully.

"Now, now," the captain chided. "If ya go back to bein' all depressed, I'll have to tell Rukia-chan on ya. An' when I tell her, she's gonna kick yer behind to Hueco Mundo an' back."

"By the way, Gin," Ichigo said, a small bit of life returning to his voice. "I've been meaning to ask you something that's been on my mind: why is Rukia scared of you?"

"A lotta people are scared o' me," he shrugged.

"Rangiku-san isn't," Ichigo pointed out.

"She's known me since we were kids."

"And I'm not."

"Yeah, but yer weird like that, so ya don't count."

Ichigo gave him a look that very plainly said, "_I'm_ weird?" Before the orange-haired youth could continue his interrogation, he heard a groan under the subtle hum of Orihime's Soten Kisshun.

"Rukia!"

"Ichigo…"

"Rukia-sama!"

Seeing her work was done, Orihime removed her Shun Shun Rikka from Rukia's body and returned them to her hair clips.

Rukia sat up and gently placed a hand to where the hole once was.

"Thank you, Orihime," Rukia said. "Your healing powers have really improved."

"Oh, that's not true!" the other girl stammered modestly.

"Welcome back to the world of the livin', Rukia-chan," Gin said.

Rukia froze.

"Thank you, Ichimaru-taichō," she replied warily.

"See what I mean?" Ichigo said. "She's scared of you."

"I am not!" Rukia protested vehemently.

"All he had to do was say 'hi' and you were like a deer in headlights," Ichigo retorted.

"I was just surprised that the captain had taken the time to check on my condition!"

"You're a member of the team he's leading! Of course he should check to make sure you're all right! I bet even Chappy here saw how scared you are of him!"

"Rukia-sama's not afwaid of anyone!"

"Shut up, who asked you?"

"You just did."

"Judging by that smirk on your face, I'm betting you're definitely feeling better."

"I am, thank you for asking," she replied in that all-too-sweet voice of hers.

"Just answer the stupid question."

"I am _not_ afraid of Ichimaru-taichō!"

As the two bickered on, Gin leaned over to Orihime and asked in a quiet but impish voice, "Ya ain't scared o' me, are ya, Orihime-chan?"

"Uh, actually, I'm not."

Gin paused, his eyebrows raised in surprise by the honesty of the answer.

"Yeah, you do look kind of creepy," she explained nervously. "But you helped try to save Kuchiki-san while in Soul Society, and you're here helping us now, and Rangiku-san married you, so that must mean that you're not as bad as you look."

The silver-haired captain considered the human girl for a moment.

"Ya know what, Orihime-chan?" he finally said, his smile returning in full force. "Ya can call me 'Gin'."

"What?" she started suddenly. "But I couldn't!"

"Just like Rukia-chan," Gin sighed with feigned despondency. "So stuck on formality. Well, if ya change yer mind, jus' know that I don't mind what ya call me."

"Okay… Gin-san," Orihime allowed.

"That's a bit better," he said.

"Gin, we should check on Ikkaku and Yumichika, see if they need any help," Rangiku said.

"All right, we'll let those two have their fun," Gin replied. "C'mon, Orihime-chan."

"But, Kurosaki-kun is still hurt…" Orihime protested.

"He'll be fine," the fox assured her. "Besides, he's a bit busy at the moment. Let the lovers have their lil' quarrel."

As he picked up Orihime to check on the other shinigami, Gin did not understand why his wife was shooting him a glare for that last comment. After all, surely she knew by now that there were other, far worse remarks he could have made. Who said he didn't know restraint?

* * *

Orihime nervously knocked on the apartment door. Gin and Rangiku were still in their shinigami forms on either side of her, and despite them stating that they could feel their comrades inside, the human girl was skeptical. How could shinigami ask to stay in a strange apartment? This wasn't Sado's place, she knew that, nor was it Ishida's home.

"Yes, who is- Inoue-san!"

"Asano-kun?" Orihime blinked in surprise at the familiar face of Asano Keigo.

"What are you doing here?" the other student asked excitedly.

"Uh, would you perhaps happen to have a shaved man and his beautiful friend in your room?" Orihime asked hesitantly.

"FINALLY SOMEONE GETS IT RIGHT!"

"Ikkaku-san!" Orihime gasped, and rushed past the brown-haired student to where she had heard his voice.

"Hello, Orihime-chan," Yumichika greeted her as she dashed into the room.

"Hey," Ikkaku grunted with less enthusiasm. Understandable, considering the layer of bruises and burns which seemed to cover his skin.

"And who are _you_?" an unfamiliar brunette narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the new girl.

"Uh, Nee-san, this Inoue Orihime, a friend from school," Keigo nervously interjected. "Inoue-san, this is my sister Mizuho."

"Pleased to meet you!" Orihime chirped and bowed.

"What is your relationship with Ikkaku?" Mizuho demanded in a low voice.

"Uh, he's a friend," the other girl answered nervously.

Keigo's glaring sister did not seem convinced.

"Don't worry," Yumichika put in smoothly. "Orihime-chan's heart does not go out to anyone in this room."

"Unfortunately," Keigo muttered despondently under his breath.

"Great!" Mizuho suddenly grinned and hugged Orihime, who yelped at the sudden change of mood and contact. "Then make yourself at home!"

"Uh, t-thank you!" Orihime stuttered.

"Uh, Orihime-chan, who _are_ these two?" Keigo asked curiously.

"Oh, I met Ikkaku-san and Yumichika-san over the summer," she explained.

"Actually, I was talking about them," the boy gestured to the two Ichimarus who had thus far observed the drama in silence.

"Oh, sorry, this is Ichimaru Gin and Rangiku!" Orihime introduced, and then blinked. "You can see them?"

"See who?" Mizuho asked.

"Those two over there," Keigo pointed at Gin and Rangiku, still in their shinigami forms.

"You idiot, there isn't anyone standing there," his sister scolded.

"Well, this is awkward," Gin commented. "Orihime-chan, jus' heal their injuries an' leave."

"Don't bother, not with the ordinary humans here," Yumichika said to the kind-hearted girl quietly.

"Ikkaku-san is hurt!" Orihime protested.

"We'll come find you tomorrow, and you can heal me then," Ikkaku assured her. "I can hold out that long."

"Are you sure?" she asked in concern.

Both warriors nodded.

"Okay," Orihime agreed with some reservation, and then turned to the two Asanos still bickering and said, "Thank you for taking care of them!"

"No problem!" Mizuho broke off with her arguing to give an energetic grin at the orange-haired girl.

* * *

Rangiku found Gin in a lonelier part of a park, sitting comfortably under a tree. She walked up quietly behind him, careful not to make any sound as she approached him.

"Guess who!" she squealed as she pounced and placed her hands over his eyes.

"Guess who!"

She shrieked when someone else suddenly came up behind her and mimicked her action. Rangiku jumped away from the new hands and looked to see what had happened: Gin had left his gigai leaning against the tree, and had been hiding up in the branches for her to show up. At the moment she had pounced on him, he had struck. She was just about to tell him off for tricking her when he cut off any retort by pressing his lips against hers.

The strawberry-blonde only had a moment to curse her husband's kissing skills before she sank into bliss.

One wonderful make-out session later, Gin pulled away and whispered, "Gotcha."

"Shut up," was the only retort she could summon up in her post-kiss haze.

"So, whatcha doin' out here?"

What was she doing? Yes, there had been a reason she had been looking for him, but she couldn't quite remember…

"I think…," Rangiku slowly replied, and then her cognitive abilities gradually returned to her. "Have you filed the report about last night yet?"

"Finished it just as I felt ya comin'," Gin answered her. "Which reminds me…"

His relatively serious tone sobered her up quick, and she paid attention.

"We knew that we would need to be trainin' to get stronger fer the war with Aizen," he said. "Well, last night, I would've needed to use Bankai to kill a Gillian-class Arrancar; if we hadn't gotten word that we could fight without our limiters on, that is."

Rangiku nodded in comprehension, but then stiffened as she noticed the look on her husband's face. No one else would have picked up on it, but she knew Gin well enough to know all his tells. Right now, he was about to say something she was _not_ going to like.

"If those were jus' the foot soldiers," Gin continued, "then the stakes have gone up."

"What are you saying, Gin?" Rangiku asked nervously.

He turned to face her, a determined and very excited smile on his face.

"It means, Rangiku-_chan_," he replied, and she paled; she was one of the few girls Gin did _not_ refer to with the "-chan" honorific. There had only been one time in their lives when he had called her "Rangiku-chan," and those had _not_ been happy times (arguably necessary, but still hard). "Yer goin' back to school."

Rangiku whimpered.

"An' we're startin' right now," Gin informed her generously as he casually drew Shinsō from her scabbard.

Well, what else could a woman do in this situation?

Just as Shinsō was laid bare, Rangiku socked him in the face, pulled her zanpakutō out of her sheath, and declared "Growl, Haineko!" All this was in the space of one second.

Before the ash cloud could reach him, Gin had already disappeared in a buzz of shunpo.

Rangiku knew that Gin would not necessarily attack from the rear. He could appear to her right or to her left, or even pop up right back in front of her. So she called Haineko back and surrounded herself with the cloud.

And she froze when she felt the point of a blade touching the top of her head.

"Yer dead," Gin's voice informed her from his position overhead. "Good work on that sucker punch, but ya should've checked above ya, not jus' to yer sides."

Rangiku expelled a _very_ crude word from her mouth.

"We'll do that later," he promised cheekily. "If ya still got the energy after we're done trainin', that is."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Yes, Gin did have a much easier time with Shawlong than Hitsugaya did in canon. I know I'm going to tick off Hitsugaya fans by saying this, but Gin is the better fighter of the two. Gin has been shown to fight smarter and harder than Hitsugaya, and in this timeline, Gin was taught how to fight by Kyōraku. However, I will say that AGNH-Gin does not have as much raw power as canon Gin does, because the latter was spending his entire life training himself to be strong enough to be able to kill Aizen. Since the Gin I've been writing here did not have that drive, he will not have the same power level. With that said, I still think that his levels of sneakiness will always remain the same, no matter the timeline.

Rangiku was also able to hold out better than in canon because she has higher reiatsu levels. As I mentioned the previous chapter, the effects of having a piece of her soul stolen for the Hogyoku have never been clarified, but it's been generally assumed that it had a long-term effect on Rangiku's overall spiritual power.

The voice of Gin's gikongan is based on his voice in the English dub of the anime. While I prefer his Japanese voice better (and I think a southern accent is a better fit), I do think the English voice actor did a good job of conveying Gin's creepiness.

Interesting bit of trivia: Phil Collins was offered the role of being the voice actor for Gin in the English dub of the anime. Collins turned them down, but later regretted the decision.

My thanks to the following reviewers: **TykkiMikk**, **Juliedoo**, **The Lord of War**, **TakaSasuke**, **AKissAndAGunshot**, **Nnix Ame**, **skymaster23** and anonymous guests.

* * *

**Omake: Arrancar Encyclopedia**

A spotlight shone down on Hitsugaya Tōshirō, who was standing there with a flat expression on his face and his arms crossed over his chest.

"Today we'll be talking about alternate timelines," he began with a monotone and the enthusiasm of an acting opossum.

"Cut!"

Hitsugaya glared at Gin, who appeared in his normal shinigami outfit, but with a director's megaphone in hand.

"C'mon, Shiro-chan, put more life into this!"

"First of all, you will refer to me as Hitsugaya-san," the short prodigy started. "Second, I didn't even want to perform them. Why do you even believe these to be necessary?"

"Since Rangiku won't let me do 'em, someone else has to make sure the readers know all the jargon an' terms that come up."

"But you already went over them in the other timeline; there's no point in going over these twice."

"I don't know if ya noticed, but some o' those fans are kinda dumb. Can't really trust 'em to remember all the stuff that comes up."


	10. Godslayer

Warning: The fight scene between Gin and Luppi will get a little grisly. This is rated "T" after all.

* * *

"Welcome, Kuchiki-san!" Urahara greeted in his usual chipper manner while waving his fan. "What can I do for you?"

"I need another gikon dispenser," the petite noble explained. "My usual, please. You _do_ have one in stock this time, right?"

"Of course! I made sure to have at least one Chappy reserved especially for you! Please wait a moment while I go fetch it!"

She nodded in acknowledgement, and the shopkeeper left to pick out the appropriate merchandise from storage. Rukia had only waited a few seconds before a familiar voice sang, "How are ya, Rukia-chan?"

She quickly turned around to find Ichimaru looming over her. It was times like these that she hated being so short.

"Ichimaru-taichō," she acknowledged respectfully. "What are you doing here?"

"Just takin' a walk 'round," he answered. "Thought I'd come by an' chat with Urahara-san, an' I found ya here."

"I'm simply purchasing some gikon," Rukia said using the standard cautious-polite tone she was accustomed to having whenever she conversed with Ichimaru.

"Oh, an' outta curiosity," he drawled. "Ya wouldn't happen to know where Ichigo is, do ya?"

"I don't," she answered. "He hasn't returned back home for a few days now."

There was something Rukia wanted to ask Ichimaru in return, but she was not sure if she could gather the nerve to do it.

"Ichimaru-taichō," she continued, finally facing up to it. "May I ask you a question?"

"Ya can ask me anythin' ya want," the fox said easily.

"Why did you choose to save me in Soul Society?" she asked before she lost her courage.

Ichimaru cocked his head, as if confused by her question. "Watcha mean by that?"

Rukia's patience was quickly wearing thin, but she restrained herself. "You've never shown any liking towards me, and suddenly you volunteer to risk your life to save mine. Why?"

"Sorry, thought it was obvious," Ichimaru said. "Don'tcha remember me sayin' ya were my second favorite woman in Soul Society?"

"But _why?_" Rukia demanded. Now that she had finally asked the question, her momentum was carrying her forward, and she was not going to stop until she got an answer.

"'Cause I like ya," Ichimaru stated in a matter-of-fact manner.

"You have a funny way of showing it!" Rukia replied with more heat than she probably should have. "Ever since I met you, you've taken it upon yourself to harass, terrify, and generally drive me insane!"

It was hard to lock eyes with someone who kept them nigh-closed all the time, but she did her best as she glared up at Ichimaru upon finishing her brief rant, waiting for his reaction. He did not look even remotely offended by her outburst. Just the opposite in fact; his smile had widened to show more teeth. Rukia was no expert in reading his smiles, but she could have sworn that he looked satisfied by her insolence.

She kept up her defiant stare, daring the man to make the first move. She was not disappointed, but in an unexpected way.

Ichimaru brought his hand up, and Rukia instinctively stiffened. But the only thing he did was gently place his bony, thin fingers on top of her head. The action made her uncomfortable, but she forced herself to relax.

"Yer growin' up fast," Ichimaru told her, and then took on an infuriatingly patronizing tone, "but there's some things ya ain't ready to hear yet."

Rukia growled in frustration, using every bit of self-control she had to prevent herself from strangling him.

"Ah, Ichimaru-taichō!" Urahara sang as he re-entered the room, Rukia's gikon dispenser in hand. "I didn't hear you come in. How are you doing?"

Rukia was almost certain that the "humble" shopkeeper had been eavesdropping on their conversation. She did not say anything on it, though, because he had come just in time to defuse a situation that potentially could have ended badly for her.

"Doin' well," Ichimaru answered conversationally, and removed his hand from the top of her head, much to Rukia's relief. "How's business?"

"Same old, same old," Urahara replied. "The usual lovely ladies and crazy gentlemen are my best customers."

Rukia rolled her eyes at the attempted flattery, and held out her hand to accept the merchandise. Urahara offered the soul candy dispenser to her, and she gave a brief bow and a word of parting to Ichimaru before she walked quickly out the door.

"Why are you here, Ichimaru-taichō?" Urahara asked after Rukia had exited the building.

The captain's tone was suspiciously casual as he said, "Mind tellin' me what happened that night a hundred years ago?"

The shopkeeper went still as a rare serious expression crossed over his face. They both knew Ichimaru did not need to specify the exact date. From beneath the shadow of his hat, Urahara looked back at the squinty-eyed man and asked, "Who is making this inquiry?"

"Me," his smirking customer answered. "Though Yama-jii is very interested in hearin' yer side o' the story, now that certain facts have come to light."

"Is he now?"

Ichimaru nodded. "He wants ya to re-confirm the story ya told a hundred years ago, that it was Aizen who framed ya fer the Hollowfication of those captains an' lieutenants."

"He did." Urahara's tone was flat, indicating he was neither impressed nor mollified by this roundabout admission of guilt on Soul Society's part.

"That's all he wants to know fer now. But what _I_ wanna know is this: how's Lisa gettin' along these days?"

Urahara blinked in mild surprise. Of all the questions he had expected, that had been rather low on the list.

"She's fine," he answered cautiously. "She's healthy and sane, and doing well."

"Good," Ichimaru answered. "I don't suppose there's a chance of meetin' up with her, fer ol' time's sake."

"That is not up to me," Urahara informed him.

"Then pass along the message," the captain countered.

The shaggy scientist sighed, and nodded. "Very well. I'll tell her that, the next time I run into her."

Ichimaru nodded once in thanks before taking his leave without another word.

* * *

"This looks like a good place," Gin decided as he led his wife, Ikkaku, and Yumichika to a secluded spot in a park. "'Kay, everyone, out o' yer gigais."

"Why do we have to do Jinzen?" Rangiku whined.

"Especially when we know that _some_ of our zanpakutō spirits are going to be uncooperative?" Yumichika agreed.

"If ya want, we can have a sparrin' match instead, the three o' ya against me…"

His three teammates immediately sat cross-legged on the ground. While Ikkaku and Yumichika were as battle-hungry as the best of the Eleventh, Ichimaru's training methods were creative and challenging, to be put politely. Put bluntly, it was the worst experience they had ever gone through, short of spending a day babysitting a sugar-high Yachiru. The past month under his tutelage had proven taxing even by their standards. The reason they did not take enjoyment out of fighting the fox was because he did not behave like a warrior should. He used sneak attacks, he kicked them while they were down, and worst of all (in the Eleventh men's minds) he forced his opponents to work as a team. Ichimaru forced Rangiku, Ikkaku, and Yumichika to cooperate, and thus breaking their rule of always fighting one-on-one.

Inwardly chuckling at the obedience of his subordinates, Gin entered his inner realm, relishing in the familiar sight of the never-ending grassland.

For some reason he had never figured out other than "just because," he always appeared in his mind without footwear, allowing him to feel the soft grass every time he came to visit Shinsō.

He looked up at the dark sky; it was always night in his inner world, and it was always cloudless. From his days in the Rukongai, Gin had preferred the night to the day. It allowed him to hide from nasty people, and gave him the opportunity to strike back without being seen. Even though he no longer needed to hide, some things stuck with him. His preference for the shadows was one of them, made evident by his inner world. Despite the darkness of the realm, he never had a problem seeing.

Gin waited where he first appeared, knowing that Shinsō was never in a hurry to greet him. He didn't mind; they were both very patient people.

As he waited, he looked up into the blackened sky, and saw how the stars were arranged. Here in his inner realm they were never displayed the same way twice in a row. This time around, it looked like the stars were arranged so they mimicked the major constellations of the humans, but there were definite differences. For example, Orion wasn't visible this time of year in the real world, but in Shinsō's realm, it stood proudly above him.

The stellar setup was not the only difference between reality and his mind. Unlike the real moon, which followed a set pattern of phases, here the appearance of Earth's natural satellite was completely random. Well, not _completely_ random; Gin had long ago figured out that there was a correlation between the phase of the moon and Shinsō. He had yet to fully decipher the code, but there were a couple of hints he had picked up on. For one, he knew that there was no correlation between the phases and Shinsō's mood; she could be pleased, and the moon would be dark or bright. Rather, Gin suspected that it was a way of measuring secrecy. Whether it was how secretive his zanpakutō was feeling towards him, or how mysterious they both felt towards other people, he was not sure. The moon was seldom full, but it was also rarely completely dark. More often, it was in the occluded phases, possibly reflecting his old habit of hiding in the shadows. This time around, the moon was in its waning crescent phase.

"What do you think?" a feminine voice spoke softly from right behind him.

"Very pretty," Gin replied approvingly as he turned to face his zanpakutō. Shinsō's stealthy arrivals stopped startling him after he had learned her name. "Ya got here quick."

If there could be one way to describe Shinsō's physical appearance, it would be "beautiful as a cobra." Her features were smooth and elegant, and unmarred by her complete lack of hair on her person. Her skin was a fair tone, and her face was narrow, with a subtle, scheming smile on her lips. While she kept her eyes semi-closed, the sanguine shade of her irises were still visible. She wore around her body a white cloak that had two openings for her skinny arms, which she kept loosely by her sides. From the waist down, she had the body of the snake; the reptilian half seemed to go on for about seven meters, and the scales were the color of polished steel. Here in the shadows of the evening, her scales were a dull gray.

This eccentric beauty did nothing to conceal her predatory pose. Shinsō was always ready to strike, always ready to take down her next prey. Gin learned early on to not show weakness to her whenever he visited; hunters always sought an opening, and this naga was no exception.

"I was in the mood," she replied. "I know that you came here to discuss something quite important."

"That's right," Gin confirmed. "I think it's 'bout time we had a chat 'bout what our Bankai can do."

"Is that so?" Shinsō replied.

"Kamishini no Yari's base traits are pretty impressive," he continued. "We can hit any target within a few kilometers o' us, an' only the fastest could react to our attack. But I got the feelin' that there's somethin' more."

She did not respond.

"So," Gin finished, "what secrets do ya have left to tell me?"

He knew that Shinsō would take her sweet time in answering, but he could be patient.

"Why should I tell you?"

Well, that was quick.

"Any reason why ya shouldn't?"

"You have yet to earn it."

This time, Gin decided to be the one to make her wait as he carefully considered his next words.

"Explain." Correction: his next _word_, as in singular.

"Consider the name of our Bankai, Kamishini no Yari. The Godslayer Spear," Shinsō began to lecture. "In the natural order of things, the beings of the divine can strike down hapless mortals without fear of repercussion. But not us. If we are crossed, the reach of our fang and the speed of our strike can pierce even the throne of the heavens, and render unto the immortals the taste of death. We can turn the tables, and make the heavenly fear of a quick end just as mortals fear an unexpected demise at the hands of an angry god.

"But piercing a god and killing it are two very different things," she continued. "So meditate on this question: how can we make a blade kill our enemy in one strike, even if we merely scratch his arm?"

"Poison," Gin answered immediately.

Shinsō looked at him carefully, her smug smirk frozen for a moment. Then, it grew just so slightly into a one of pleased satisfaction.

"Correct," she conceded. "But knowing the answer is not enough for me."

"How can I convince ya?" Gin asked.

"Prove to me that you can make our fang pierce the skin of those who call themselves gods," she answered promptly. "Show me that we can make the divine bleed, and I will tell you how to use our venom to slay them from the inside."

"Well, if I come across any gods, I'll take ya up on that challenge."

"Good," Shinsō smirked lightly, and then suggested, "I would advise that you leave soon. Rangiku and Haineko are at it again."

"Yeah, probably a good idea," Gin agreed, and exited his zanpakutō's realm.

* * *

Rangiku fled her inner world seething. If there had been a door, she would have slammed it behind her. "That selfish, lazy, moody, vain…"

"Haineko bein' uncooperative again?"

She glared at her husband's smug expression.

"I'll take that as a 'yes,'" he noted cheekily.

"If she wasn't so stubborn, we would have Bankai by now!" Rangiku ranted. "I've got enough reiatsu for materialization, so _what is her problem?!_"

"Ya mean she hasn't told ya?" Gin asked, his smile on its Mildly Confused setting.

"Of course not!" she snapped.

There was a moment of pause as Gin regarded her with a controlled expression even she had difficulty discerning.

"What?" Rangiku asked irritably.

"Mind tellin' me what exactly went on with Haineko?" he asked.

"I went into Jinzen, I told Haineko to tell me how to get Bankai, she insulted me, and things went downhill from there," she recounted.

Gin seemed to ponder her brief story for a few moments. Then he sighed and said, "I've been thinkin' fer a while now 'bout why yer havin' so much trouble with yer zanpakutō these past few years. I didn't wanna say nothin' before, 'cause I thought it'd be best if ya figured it out fer yerself."

Rangiku frowned, but nodded for him to go on.

"First o' all, remember the basics," he started. "Zanpakutō are the extensions of our soul. So whatever problems Haineko has with ya, they're problems ya have with yerself. If ya want Bankai, then ya need to be honest with yerself when talkin' with yer zanpakutō."

"But I _have_," Rangiku protested.

"Normally, I'd agree with ya," Gin replied. "But obviously, there's an issue goin' on that ya need to resolve."

"I'm not the one with the problem!" she contested hotly. "_She's_ the one who refuses-!"

"Rangiku."

The heat of her argument went dead at his single word of admonishment. That was because as he spoke, Gin was frowning at her. And to be quite frank the sight was rather creepy. There was no annoyance or anger tainting that frown, but rather something worse: disappointment.

"You will go into yer inner world, and you will talk with Haineko until you have straightened things out between the two o' ya," Captain Ichimaru Gin ordered her. He did not exercise his rank like this often, but when he did, people _obeyed_, even her.

Throughout most of their marriage and friendship before that, Rangiku had acted as Gin's conscience, preventing him from going too far into the dark areas of morality. Her unique position as best friend, then girlfriend, and finally wife allowed her to question his command and even outright disobey his orders when she deemed him in the wrong. She tried not to exercise this right too often to prevent a breakdown in the chain of command, and fortunately, occasions which required her to intercede occurred less and less often as time went on.

But on some occasions, Gin would take it upon himself to give a direct order to her when he felt it was required. Unlike her influence on him, which was based on moral grounds and emotional connectivity with others, Gin intervened when she was being foolish or about to act on some particularly stupid and brash plan. He was the only person who had both the authority to give her an order, and was able to prevent her stupidity from occurring in the first place by mere basis of the fact that he knew her so well.

Rangiku was about to give a reluctant acknowledgment of his command when the attention of the four shinigami was diverted to a Garganta that had just opened in the sky.

"Arrancar?!" Yumichika cried. "Already?"

"Looks like they wanted a rematch sooner than we thought," Gin remarked, and Rangiku was comforted by the fact that his smile had returned to his face.

They saw one of the newly arrived enemies take off in another direction.

"Let him go," Gin instructed, his smile thankfully back in its normal position. "We got enough trouble right here."

His comment was accentuated when the largest of the Arrancar dove towards the task force. Gin decided that he would be the one to greet him, and blocked the overhead strike the giant had brought down with Shinsō.

"Ichimaru Gin," the silver fox introduced himself; manners would not hurt here. "Captain of the Third Division."

"Yammy, Arrancar Ten," the large antagonist grinned back.

"Ten, huh?" Gin replied. "So yer an Espada."

"Looks like you're in the know," Yammy said. "Whatever loser you fought must've had a big mouth."

"So I guess I need to actually try to kill ya, huh?"

Gin exerted a bit of his reiatsu, and shoved his large opponent backwards.

Even though his limiter was already released the moment the Arrancar appeared, Gin did not feel too bad about going to Shikai in this fight, since he was dealing with an Espada.

"Shoot to kill, Shinsō!"

The blade snapped out and rushed at Yammy, but the brute managed to block the attack. He swatted the extended metal to the side and charged forward with his sword raised high.

In the time it took for the Espada to make one, very easily side-stepped attack, Shinsō had already returned to her initial length.

"Yammy!"

Gin took a look at the other, apparently higher-ranked Arrancar who had spoken. This one resembled the exact opposite of his comrade, so puny and underdeveloped it looked like they should have kept him in the Hōgyoku oven a few minutes longer

"Let me have a go at the creepy guy, too," he said, "I'll release my sword and take them on four to one, and finish them all off!"

He gripped the hilt of his sword and began extracting it from its sheath with exaggerated slowness. While Gin knew that this dramatic gesture was a sign of overconfidence, he did _not_ want to give the Espada a chance to release his sword. The faster they could end this fight, the better.

The Espada screamed in pain as Gin's extendable fang pierced his hand, forcing him to let go of his sword.

"You…" the effeminate Arrancar growled.

Gin did not stop in his attack, letting Shinsō strike again.

This time the Espada managed to dodge the attack, and reached for his sword with his left hand. He learned from his mistake and drew as fast as he could.

"Strangle, Trepadora!"

The explosion of reiatsu forced Gin to cover his eyes with his arm.

An instant later, a long tentacle suddenly came out of the smoke behind him. Sensing the attack, Gin swung around and blocked it with his sword. The power behind the blow pushed him back several meters, but he managed to shield himself from harm.

"That all ya got?" the narrow-eyed fighter asked, his smile now more mocking.

"Nice defense!" came the compliment from the smoke cloud. "I didn't think you would have actually managed to block that completely. I'm actually a little surprised. You captain-class shinigami are tougher than I thought. But, what would you do if I multiplied that attack by eight?"

The smoke finally cleared completely, and revealed the eight arms that had grown out of the Espada's back. The other seven tentacles came about and joined the first. While the sudden assault nearly took Gin by surprise, he quickly recovered; after all, speed was his specialty. With a single step of shunpo, the captain disappeared just as the tentacles were about to reach him.

"And good reflexes, too!" his octopus-like enemy continued. "But can you keep up an eight-on-one fight?"

"Yes," Gin answered back.

"Oh?" the multi-armed Arrancar said skeptically. "Aren't you the confident one? Let me guess: you're going to release your Bankai on me."

"Normally, I hate bein' predictable, but I'll allow it this time," the vulpine shinigami replied, and then crouched slightly over, Shinsō held parallel to the ground and pointed at the Espada. Then Gin leisurely declared, "Bankai."

Argent flames burned off the captain's reiatsu as it launched to new levels.

"Kamishini no Yari."

Most second releases were trumpeted into existence by a large explosion and cloud of smoke. This Bankai's only herald was a bell's hiss, and in the time it took to form a thought, the viper had struck.

A white streak impaled the Espada through the gut, leaving its victim staring at the offending blade in shocked horror.

Before the enemy could react, Kamishini no Yari was at mere wakizashi length again.

"_That's_ your Bankai?" the Arrancar said incredulously as he held a hand to his wound. "But it's the same!"

"Yer not so different, with ya whipping yer arms out like that."

"I suppose, but even with that little Bankai of yours, I can still take you; I _do_ outnumber you, after all."

To enforce his boast, the cephalopod Arrancar struck out with his extra appendages at the captain. With even more ease than before, Gin flash-stepped the attack. "Too slow," he informed the Arrancar.

"Actually, it was just right," the Espada replied smugly, and revealed that Rangiku was now wrapped in a tentacle and being used as a shield. His eyebrows rose in surprise as he realized that his adversary had sent only seven arms at him, and used the eighth to snag her.

"I couldn't help but notice how lovely this woman was," the Sexta said. "Judging by the badge, I'd say she's your second-in-command, isn't she?"

The Third Division captain kept his stance unnaturally still; even his smile remained as it was, though a close look at his face would reveal that this expression was merely his lips turning upward; it was _not_ a smile.

"That's what I thought," the Arrancar chuckled, and brought another one of his tendrils to Rangiku's face, and several spikes emerged from the end. "Now that your pretty little lieutenant is in my hands, there are only two ways this battle can end." He held up one finger. "You can throw down your sword and let me pummel you to death, but I'll let her go free." He put up another finger. "Or, I can kill her now, and then kill you after you fully realize that you could not save your dear subordinate."

"Gin, _please_ make him stop talking," Rangiku groaned. "He's making me sick."

"Very well, I won't let you listen to my voice anymore…," the Espada purred mockingly.

And the spiked tentacle charged at the captive woman.

"…by punching that lovely body of yours full of holes!"

"Growl, Haineko!"

A twist of her wrist ordered a cloud of ash to rush upwards in her defense. In the mere second before the Sexta's spikes would have pierced Rangiku's chest, Haineko pushed the tentacle upward. The motion was enough that it was prevented from inflicting a fatal blow, but she did not emerge unscathed. Just as the spikes were ascending, they made contact with Rangiku's face. At first the scratches were shallow, but during their brief journey, the lacerations deepened and began to bleed profusely from the sudden breaches in the skin.

Rangiku did not scream, but her teeth-clenched groan of pain was audible to all participants in the vicinity, and she reflexively threw her head back in a vain attempt to escape the claws.

"Oops, missed," Luppi chuckled as the last of the spikes finally broke off contact with Rangiku. But a second later, he froze in terror as he realized that one of his tentacles suddenly felt much shorter than it did a second ago.

A glance down revealed to him that his former captive woman, while still restrained by his now-detached arm, was in free fall.

The Espada whipped out another protrusion to snatch his prisoner back into his clutches, only to meet resistance in the form of the Eleventh Division's Third Seat.

Ikkaku put his entire body strength into pushing the assaulting limb back, while behind him, Yumichika was catching Rangiku in his arms and carrying her off. As soon as they were in the clear, the shaved warrior broke off his resistance as well, and followed the peacock's trail.

They were not running away from a fight; they were just eager to escape the danger zone whose center was Ichimaru Gin. While neither Ikkaku nor Yumichika had personally witnessed what Gin would do if his wife was ever harmed, they could take a few guesses. And normally, they would be taking front row seats at the spectacle while eating popcorn, but Rangiku needed to be taken to Urahara's Shop as quickly as possible for healing. There was also the fact that the serpentine captain might take after Kenpachi's lead and not care who got in his way in a fight, even if it meant hurting his own allies.

Yes, it would be best if they all kept their distance.

"Where do ya think you're going?"

The two Eleventh men turned upward to see the larger Espada charging at them from above with his fist raised high.

Only to meet the blade of Urahara Kisuke.

"As you were, gentlemen," the Geta-boshi said calmly to the two warriors.

Ikkaku and Yumichika nodded, and continued their rush to Urahara's Shop.

Just before they exited hearing range, the green-clad warrior's words reached their ears as he spoke to Yammy, "So, what shall we do with you?"

* * *

Gin was sure Rangiku would survive. The wounds were in non-vital regions, and he could feel her reiatsu signature still emitting a strong pulse. What truly concerned him was the nature of the wound. She would survive, but she would be scarred. Of course, Gin loved his wife, and he wouldn't care if she had the face of Yamamoto, but he knew Rangiku took pride in her beauty. An injury like this would hurt her self-esteem far more than it would threaten her life.

Rangiku would survive, and Gin would make sure that she would recover, both mentally and physically. But right now, he needed to indulge in his rare thirst for revenge.

Speaking of which, he now had the complete and total attention of the wasp-waisted Espada.

"You're going to pay for that," the Hollow said in a deadly calm voice, his mutilated tentacle held to accentuate his threat.

Gin did not think words were appropriate right now, so he did not bother responding; he would let Kamishini no Yari speak for him.

Then, as if imitating his opponent, Gin held up a single finger before his face.

That's one.

* * *

Luppi glared at the shinigami who dared to think himself strong enough to go against him. Oh, how he would enjoy breaking the man's body bit by bit.

There was the sound of shunpo being executed, and Ichimaru disappeared from his sight. A moment later, another flash of light signaled that an arm had been severed, this time directly at the base. There was no growing that limb back.

Luppi pivoted on his feet to face the captain's new position, and froze in terror. Ichimaru was no longer wearing his trademark creepy-friendly smile; it had transformed into something more feral and more bloodthirsty. It was not like the battle-loving grins of Nnoitra or Grimmjow, which reminded him of larger carnivores such as tigers or wolves. This smile was something more cunning; it threatened death in such a way that the victim would not see it coming, like that of a snake or crocodile.

The octopus-like Arrancar no longer felt like a solid member of the Espada; more like he was prey in the eyes of a hungry predator.

Luppi growled at the thought. He was one of the most powerful beings in existence, an Espada selected by Aizen himself; he would _not _tremble in front of this weak shinigami.

Floating across from him, the smug bastard now casually held up two fingers. Luppi went rigid with fury as it finally dawned on him what that gesture was meant to imply.

"Die!"

He threw one of his living weapons towards the captain, spikes extended and fully ready to pierce the man's body.

Ichimaru did not even try to dodge. Instead he raised his sword so that it was pointing forward.

A second later, Luppi was screaming. This time, Ichimaru did not amputate one of his limbs. Not completely. His strike had cut the Espada's attacking tentacle neatly in two, with one half trailing to the ground and joining the remains of the other limbs. However, the other half remained attached to his body, now no more than dead weight.

Luppi glared back up to Ichimaru, who was still grinning like a madman at his handiwork, three fingers now raised mockingly. In part rage, and part panic, Luppi attacked with all of his remaining limbs.

A second later, three more writhing amputated whips had joined their mates.

Ichimaru suddenly appeared a foot in front of Luppi. Five fingers.

"JUST DIE ALREADY!" the Arrancar screamed, and fired a point-blank Cero from his mouth, sending his two remaining spike-tipped limbs at the man from separate directions. They were too close, there was no way for him to dodge now!

The tentacles collided only with each other. The beam passed into the distance without harming anyone.

Ichimaru vanished from view, and the beam of light that Luppi was starting to become terrifyingly familiar with severed another appendage.

The panicked Espada screamed, enraged and terrified at his helplessness. Gin chose not to wait for him to attack again. His Bankai sped out and not only severed Luppi's last arm, she also bit into the Espada's torso, removing a chunk of flesh.

Luppi spun about in desperation, to find Ichimaru holding up thumb and pointer finger together in the classic symbol of 'zero'.

And in that moment, Luppi realized that the captain was not fighting him; he was _torturing_ him.

With that revelation, the octopus-like Hollow now had a dilemma on his hands. While he knew that he was just being toyed with, and still being thoroughly beaten, the thought of retreating did not sit well with him.

His survival instincts won out, and the Sexta Espada turned tail and ran as fast as he could.

But evidently, Ichimaru was not finished with him yet; just a couple feet in front of him, the captain reappeared. And that bloodthirsty smile still adorned his face.

"S-stay away from me!" Luppi yelled in panic and took several steps backward. "Come any closer, and I'll kill you!"

As if to chastise the Arrancar for his empty threat, Ichimaru lifted up his Bankai once more, and pointed it straight at his enemy.

Luppi gasped, and was about to turn tail again, when the familiar glow of the Negacion came down and enveloped him.

The Espada laughed in relief, and decided right there and then that yellow was his new favorite color.

His laughter stopped cold for a moment as he saw right in front of his face was the point of the shinigami's Bankai. If the Negacion had come even a nanosecond later, he would have been killed.

Luppi started laughing even harder at realizing how close he had come to death.

"Better luck next time, shinigami!" he cackled. "But remember my face, because next time we meet, I'll rip your head off!"

Ichimaru, who had frowned when the Negacion had prevented his kill, smiled again at the Espada's words.

"Come back an' play again," he spoke for the first time since the torture session had begun. "I look forward to it."

Luppi's laughter stopped cold at that remark, and a shudder ran through his body.

* * *

Gin watched as the sky returned to its normal blue color, essentially giving the all-clear to the shinigami task force that the Arrancar team had indeed left the world of the living.

Now that the enemy was gone, the captain of the Third Division ran off to Urahara's Shop to check on his wife's condition.

As he made his way to their unofficial base of operations, a memory came to Gin's mind, about a situation not unlike the one he had been in today.

* * *

"_Gin."_

_The lieutenant turned his head to the captain who had called his name._

"_Ya need somethin', Kyōraku-taichō?" he asked._

"_I want to talk to you about the mission," the larger man said in an unusually serious voice._

"_What 'bout it? We got it done, didn't we? Yeah, Rangiku got hurt, but she's gonna be fine."_

"_The other team members informed me of what you did to the Hollow that hurt Rangiku-chan," Kyōraku said, his tone clearly indicating disapproval. "They told me that while it only took cost you a minute to come out on top, it took you a half-hour for you to finally purify it."_

_Gin's smile did not shift in the slightest._

"_I'm not going to tell you that what you did was wrong," Kyōraku said. "Believe it or not, I do know the rage you feel when someone close to you gets hurt. And I know that it can make you lose control of yourself. But that's the thing: from what I heard, you _didn't_ lose control."_

_His vice-captain did not respond with either an affirmative or a denial._

"_I thought so. You spent a half-hour deliberately keeping a Hollow alive so you could torture it._

"_Gin, the next time you feel the urge to take revenge, make it quick, and get it over with. I know that it won't appeal to your blood thirst, but it is the more sensible thing to do. The longer you keep your enemy alive, the greater the chance it could get away."_

"_That's why I cut the legs off first."_

_Kyōraku was not amused that the smart-aleck comment was the first thing the boy had said since the conversation started. Other authority figures might have been enraged by such lack of respect, but the captain knew better; he knew that Gin would not really care about anything he said regarding revenge methods. So he moved on to a more significant problem._

"_What bothers me more," Kyōraku continued, "is how you treated your subordinates when they tried to put the Hollow out of its misery before you were finished with it."_

_The smile still stayed on Gin's face, but the older man could tell that the boy knew he was in more dangerous waters now._

"_While I am eternally grateful that you managed to have enough restraint not to harm them, they are now quite horrified by you," Kyōraku continued. "And I know that you don't really care much about what people think of you, but you need to remember that this doesn't affect only you."_

"_Whatcha mean by that?" Gin asked with a curious tilt of his head._

"_Those officers are going to talk, as people are wont to do," Kyōraku started to explain. "And when they do, they are going to talk about the psychotic tendencies of their lieutenant. Details on your violent inclinations will vary, of course, but what they most certainly will include will be the fact that Ichimaru-fukutaichō will slowly torture to death anyone who lays a finger on Matsumoto Rangiku."_

_While Gin did not say anything that time, the look on his face clearly asked, "And the problem with that is _what_, exactly?"_

"_Now let me ask you this," Kyōraku finished. "How do you think Rangiku-chan's friends are going to treat her after they hear these rumors?"_

_Bull's-eye. Gin's smile dropped, and for the first time, he looked a little ashamed at his previous actions. That was actually more of a reaction than Kyōraku had expected, but he couldn't say he was that surprised. While Gin was utterly remorseless when it came to killing and torturing those who hurt Rangiku, he was also conscious of the fact that his girlfriend was far more sociable and mentally stable than he was. And he also knew how much Rangiku loved her friends, and he did not want anything to endanger her happiness. Whether people would avoid her because they feared Gin's wrath, or because they feared she might share his bloodthirsty tendencies, it did not matter; it would hurt Rangiku._

"_So, now that you understand the consequences of your actions," Kyōraku said after he had allowed enough time for his previous question to sink in, "you are hereby ordered to go to those officers you terrified on that mission and apologize to them."_

_Still lacking his smile, Gin gave him a skeptical look._

"_I mean it," the captain said. "If you want people to follow you, you need to let them know that you are not going to kill them on a whim. If you apologize and let them know in your own special way that you will continue to be the same person they've always known, it will put them more at ease."_

_The lieutenant thought it over for a bit before nodding._

"_And after you're done with that, there's a stack of paperwork that needs to be done."_

_Rumors of Lieutenant Ichimaru's mental instability declined after word got around that he actually apologized to the officers he had terrorized. And they stopped completely after a mysterious someone had managed to put itching powder in the laundry of the Eighth Division personnel._

_That was when the other officers were reassured that Ichimaru Gin was just another normal, crazy person in the Gotei 13._

* * *

Gin realized that his former captain had accurately predicted the day's outcome. He had spent too much time playing with his prey, and so it got away from him. So, now the Sexta Espada was free to go back and recover from his wounds, and continue to be an asset to Aizen's plans. Gin swore to himself that he would keep his captain's lesson in mind, to control his temper and win the fight _quickly_ and efficiently.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I think that Gin always had a cruel streak in him, but I also think it was tempered by his friendship with Rangiku. However, in order to get closer to Aizen, he let his sociopathic tendencies out and let it become a part of him to gain the man's trust. Since in this timeline, Gin has had the influence of Rangiku close to him, his sadistic side is a lot more muted, but still emerges in certain situations.

Thank you, **Juliedoo**, **TakaSasuke**, **CoatHooks**, **TykkiMikk**, **haeye** and anonymous guests for reviewing my story.

* * *

**Omake: Illustrated Shinigami Guide**

Kyōraku was napping softly, but in the year since he had made Gin his lieutenant, he had learned to keep an ear out for whatever mischief the silver boy would think up in order to motivate his division head into work.

"Hey, Kyōraku-taichō."

The captain opened his eyes in surprise and saw Gin approaching openly.

"There's someone in yer office," the lieutenant informed him.

"Who?" Kyōraku asked.

"One o' the unseated officers," he answered, and then in a conspiratorial whisper, he added, "An' she's cute, too."

The captain sighed and got up. Even though there were decent odds that Gin was pulling his leg, he should check it out anyway (especially if there was the chance of a cute girl involved).

Kyōraku walked into his office, raised an eyebrow, and looked at his lieutenant.

Gin shrugged innocently and said, "What? I did say she was cute."

One Yet-To-Hit-Puberty Ise Nanao reddened at the silver-haired second's compliment.

"Sorry, Kyōraku-taichō," she said softly. "Ichimaru-san asked me to wait in your office."

"As long as yer here, captain," Gin smiled mischievously, "ya might as well get some work done."

"One of these days, Gin," Kyōraku sighed and sat despondently at his desk.


End file.
